Darling in Reality
by Khammunism
Summary: He, a regular high school student, looking for an answer. Her, a gang member, looking for freedom. Yet, they were both so alone. In the endless expanse of the world, they reached for each other, despite all that opposed them.
1. 01

**01**

_**To fly… was a dream. It wasn't a possibility. It was in the realm of**_

_**FANTASY**_

_**But maybe one day**_

_**I could fly away.**_

The rain thundered down on Hiro as he continued to surge forwards, his legs cycling as fast as they possibly could as he advanced through the streets. His feet slammed against the pedals, his calves pushing for more momentum. His fingers gripped the bars tightly, concentrated. His hair began drenching against his face, his school uniform weighing down heavily. He moved his hair to the side to provide a better field of vision, before glancing down at his phone as he checked the time.

**08:20**

Damn, he had to be there in 5 minutes, or he would be late. And showing up late to the first day of school was not a good precedent Hiro wanted to set for himself. Plus, Ichigo would absolutely slaughter him. He could hear her voice in his head, scolding him for showing up late to the opening ceremony. Talking about how all the hard work he had to do was for nothing apparently because he was already showing up late, blah blah. Hiro did find himself agreeing with her though.

Mistilteinn High School. The most prestigious high school in the area and ranking up very highly in the nation. With a rigorous entrance exam, they truly strived to be the best. Privately funded, they constantly pumped out exemplary students that continued to change the world.

So, the question of how Hiro got in still bothered him. To be quite frank, it didn't make any sense. It was towards the realms of impossibility. He had only sent a response due to the pure nagging Ichigo had brought towards him. Hounding him for weeks, she constantly checked up on him, making sure he had his application ready. She would invade his room, read over his work, then revise it all, in hopes that maybe wording it differently might prove to them he was actually capable of attending such a school.

The day came where Hiro submitted it, along with thousands of other students. Each of them hoping just for a chance. Doubt plagued his mind, and he had already accepted certain denial. There truly was no point in giving hope, considering his own abilities.

Hiro wasn't a bad student, that was for sure. He was easily able to excel, and often he found himself leading the class, especially earlier in his life. However, such excellence faltered once the accident came by, leaving him an unruly mess. Ever since then, his school life just seemed so utterly _unimportant. _In the grand scheme of things, it was truly useless. At least, so he believed.

However, just a few days later, a letter came back to him, requesting an interview. A few days later, they had shown up at his house. Professional, black suits, sunglasses, clipboards, lean black pens. They asked a few questions and seemed to gauge his personality, then they abruptly left. Well, that meant certain failure, right? There was no way they still wanted him, with that sudden departure.

So Hiro once again accepted rejection, telling all his friends of the failure that was his interview. Ichigo told him to keep his hopes up, but he ignored her. Afterall, what was the point anyways?

That is until a week later, he got another letter requesting for him to come take the entrance exam. Ichigo was ecstatic, and Goro basically held him hostage in his room for three weeks, assisting the studying processes. Hiro had to beg for food and the restroom, and even then, he found himself kissing the ground when he was finally released outside.

Finally, the date of the exam came, and Hiro entered, unconfident. Goro's teachings evaded his mind, and the possibility of acceptance waned even further. So, once again, Hiro came back home thinking he was done for, and had to end up going to some average high school, which wasn't bad or anything.

He came home defeated, but after a day, he was over it. He had tried his best, and clearly it wasn't for him. His best just didn't cut it anymore. He felt bad for Ichigo and Goro, with their insistence in helping him. All those late nights gone to waste.

But then they replied with another letter, saying that he had been accepted to Mistilteinn High, to his bewilderment. Everyone celebrated, and even Miku and Zorome seemed to put aside their arguments for one spectacular summer night.

Thinking about all that, Hiro pushed himself to the next degree, cycling faster than ever done before. He yelled at bystanders to move, weaving in and out of traffic. And finally, Mistilteinn appeared in the horizon, its beautiful arches beckoning him forwards. He flew across the bridge, skidding to a stop in front of the marbled steps before the grand door to the school. He checked his phone.

**08:24**

Just in time. Hiro locked his bike to the stand before running up the stairs, nearly tripping on the slippery stairs while entering the school. Hands twitching nervously, Hiro stared at the grandeur of the school in utter awe.

Grand pristine columns held up the ceiling that seemed to go up endlessly, a broad glass ceiling looking down upon him. A large mural sprawled the floor, depicting a large broad ecosystem, enclosed in a dome. It was huge, just as the pictures had made it out to be. It was beautiful…

It was…

Empty. Hiro made a dash to the auditorium, where the entrance ceremony was to take place. He opened the door slightly, peeking in as students sat before the stage, where two adults currently stood. Sneaking his way in, he took the closest open seat, trying to look nonchalant as everything seemed to be getting ready. To his sides, students chattered excitedly, all while attempting to maintain professional posture. Hiro straightened up, stretching his neck upwards to get a good look at the stage.

The loud disruptive noise of static erupted throughout, causing many to slam their hands against their ears, as one adult walked up, gently tapping the microphone.

"Ahem. I'm glad you can all make it here, given the weather that plagues us currently," The man began, pointing to the sky, where many of the students nodded in agreement. "I am Director Hachi. To my side is Dr Frank. He is the majority sponsor for this school, and thus actively participates in events."

The director was tall, wearing long black slacks with a gray uniform, awfully similar to a military outfit. He stood with a broad stature, and his dark hair was clean cut, complimenting his military guise even further.

On the other hand, the doctor was much older, that was for sure. Slouched over, he held a black cane for support, and a large white lab coat finished his look. He had gray hair that wildly sparked out from the sides, and to be quite frank, he looked like your average mad scientist.

However, Dr Frank was by far the more well known of the two men on the stage. He was recognized globally, pushing for advances in nearly all fields of study. He was a part of the space coalition between Japan and NASA to forward a rocket full of colonists to Mars. He pushed in medical advances for cancer development, creating a universal method of immunotherapy. However, he then researched into metastasis, and created an effective medicine capable of destroying all capabilities of cancer in most humans, with a 70% success rate.

Thus, the news he would be funding Mistilteinn was a surprise to many. It was just last year he announced he would be a central sponsor to the prestigious school, and he would be taking bipartisan control with Director Hachi. Many suspected that he was here in order to conduct a new research project, but the rumors haven't been answered yet, with Dr Frank being largely silent to the public.

"Today is a special day. Today, we introduce the class of 2035 into our school. This is by far the largest class we have ever had in our school, mostly due to the large amounts of excellent students that have shown themselves," Director Hachi raised in hands in an open manner, as if expressing his own pride. Hiro pulled out his phone, scrolling through his text messages. Multiple from Ichigo, asking where he was. Hiro winced as he recalled the agreement to meet up with everyone at 08:00.

"We have one last announcement. As you are all aware, Dr Frank has taken over as the majority sponsor for this school. In doing so, he has requested students to use for a research project. You will not apply, and instead Dr Frank shall choose you on his own jurisdiction. Do not worry, it is entirely psychological, and you will have complete freedom over your consent into such research," Director Hachi finished, to the murmuring of the entire auditorium

Hiro moved his hand to rub his wrist as he took in the information just granted. This meant that the rumors were indeed true, but he had doubts that he would be included in such a project anyways. If it was on a selective basis, it was near certain that Hiro wouldn't be chosen.

"Thank you all, and, please, enjoy your first day at Mistilteinn High School."

**09:00**

"We were supposed to meet up at 08:00, so where in the hell were you?" Ichigo demanded from Hiro. A short girl, blue hair falling to just below her chin on the right side, with green eyes that seemed to be searching through his very being. She conveyed a disappointed tone, her fingers tapping against her hip. They had been best friends forever, knowing each other from basically their birth.

"I was running a bit late, with the rain and stuff," Hiro answered sheepishly, pushing his hand through his messy hair. "I'm sorry and all, but hey, honestly, you guys should be glad that I didn't show up late at least."

"That's true, we all know how Hiro is. He's late to his own party sometimes," Goro laughed, and Ichigo just sighed in response. Tall, with loose blond hair, Goro was one of Hiro's closest friends, having known him for just about forever as well. The trio of him, Ichigo, and Hiro was as tight as family.

"Hey Hiro, what class do you have first anyways?" Zorome asked, bounding over to him. Shortish with flaring brown hair, he was easily one of the most fun people Hiro had ever met, meaning he was also extremely mischievous. His body runs about 100% faster than his brain, and he never thinks before committing to things. Hiro opened his phone to his school specific app, which told him his schedule along with various other things.

"Uhm, I got Maths 11." Hiro answered, scrolling to check his whole schedule. "What about you?"

"Hah, Maths 11? Sucker, I got Maths 10." Zorome laughed, puffing his chest up.

"Zorome, you do know that Maths 11 is higher than Maths 10? Meaning that he's ahead of you?" Miku asked, crossing her arms. Petite with auburn hair, she wore twintails, and crossed paths with Zorome about 24 times a day. Zorome just looked at her, as if processing the information.

"Of course I knew that! What do you take me for, stupid?" Zorome turned his head to the side, away from her. "I bet you're only in Maths 9!"

"Stupid, everyone here is either Maths 10 or above. And I'm in Maths 11, thank you very much," Miku smugly answered back, giving him a mocking smile. Her eyes leered at the boy teasingly, and Hiro could feel Zorome being put on the losing foot of this argument. However, such an occurrence happened more often than not. Zorome's instinctive nature often meant Miku was on the right side of the argument, much to Zorome's dismay.

"Hey, cut it out guys," Kokoro asked the duo, standing in between them. Adorned with long blonde hair, she was by far the nicest person in the group, meaning she was often the peacekeeper. "Plus, the bells about to ring, so we should probably all head out, yeah?"

"Yeah, but then that means I have to spend a class in Maths. Who wants to start their day with Math?!" Zorome plunged his head into his hands, sincere sorrow being expressed throughout his entire form.

**11:00**

"If you had to name one thing that really designates us as humans, what would it be?" Professor Cain asked the class, walking between the aisles. She was tall with light colored glasses hanging at the tip of her nose, black hair flowing down beyond her shoulders. She held a long pointer, slick black with a white top. Her heels clanked on the floor as she roamed the class, providing the only ambience to an otherwise silent class.

"We look different than animals," One student sarcastically offered, to the chuckling of some students. Professor Cain looked at him with disdain, before sighing.

"Wrong. Anyone else want to give it a try?"

"Uhm, we have the ability to think?" Another girl offered sheepishly, and Professor Cain seemed to jump onto that answer, leaning forwards to her direction.

"Yes, we can think! But so can other animals, right? Your pets at your home, they can all think. What makes us different, what is so different about our thinking?" Professor Cain turned to the class as she made it back to the front, sitting on her desk.

The class remained silent, and Hiro echoed her question in his head. What makes our thinking different? It was a very broad question, one that he could think of a few answers for. Yet, none of them seemed to be correct in his head.

With nobody responding, Professor Cain sighed and walked to the board, writing something with chalk. "Ethics," She said and wrote on the board, underlining it multiple times before turning back to us. "Ethics is what makes us human and different.

"We can see beyond the simplicity of survival. We need not to tie ourselves to just thinking of survival or our benefit. We have control of our behavior with our own morals. And that's the interesting thing. Morals can come from us, and society. Our behavior is built by society, what they deem correct. Of course, the individual then should be able to develop their own jurisdictions, yes? Tell me class, what is more correct. People accepting and running off what society tells them to do, or the individual making their own moral decisions with no regards to societal bounds?"

"People should do what society says. It's the best way to go about it without having any unneeded chaos," Hiro answered quickly in return. "Afterall, no societal bounds create anarchy."

"Really? And why do you think there would be chaos?" Professor Cain challenged, looking at him curiously.

"Because humans are all different. Each of us have different ideological complexes. If we were all allowed to run at our own jurisdiction, there would be chaos because everyone would be thinking that they can do different things," Hiro leaned back into his chair as he answered, striding forward confidently with his response.

"So you think that society is required in order for control. But what does the society do for us?" Professor Cain asked, and Hiro raised an eyebrow.

"Make the rules and laws?"

"And who makes the rules and laws?" The professor asked, leaning in closer to hear his answer.

"The people we elect to do so," Hiro answered again, this time a bit more uneasily.

"So we place the control of everything we do in the hands of the few?" She asked, and Hiro paused to think.

"Yes, I guess we do. Though, if they were to do things wrong, we would have them kicked out of their position," Hiro wrung his wrist with his other hand, a nervous tic he often employed in the face of uncertainty.

"But how do we decide if they did something wrong? What decides right between wrong?" She asked. And to that, Hiro had no answer. He shrugged, looking away, and thus ended the discussion between them.

**18:00**

The evening sun began to set, providing for a beautiful horizon to look at as Hiro cycled home at a much more peaceful pace than the morning. The golden orange rays of light shined spectacularly against the silent city, cool winds of autumn providing the perfect ambience to create a paradise-like atmosphere. Hiro thought back to the discussion with Professor Cain, which was by far the most interesting thing to happen that day. Although she eventually stumped him, he still believed in his answer.

Society was largely what we should base our entire lives on. They need to have these rules, right? It wouldn't make sense otherwise. It was something that Hiro had always thought, especially since…

But another part of him began to question it, rising from a part of his brain he didn't know existed. Why should they just follow society? Isn't it in our right to question those things, to find things out on our own?

As his mind wandered off, a fatal miscalculation ripped Hiro from his bike as he flew, hitting the concrete with a loud thud. He groaned on the ground, clutching his arm. Pain sporadically pulsed throughout, and he rubbed it regretfully.

Hiro got up slowly, stretching all his limbs to make sure he hadn't broken anything, before looking up. A white roadblock stretched itself across the street, blocking any form of entering or exiting. Looking over it, there didn't seem to be any construction, so the question of why the roadblock even existed surged through his mind, providing an annoyance that needed to be settled. If it hadn't been for the damn thing, he wouldn't fell in the first place.

Hiro looked over to his bike, which had taken the majority of the damage. It was scuffed up, scratches all over the thing. However, it wasn't broken, which Hiro sighed at, relieved.

Hiro got it back up before something suddenly caught his attention. A trail of blood. It was faint, just a few droplets here and there. Perhaps from him? But it didn't make sense, given the position he fell from. But it was indeed in a trail, leading over to an alley. Hiro pressed himself against the wall as he peeked his head over the corner, curiosity rising within him.

Laying against the wall was a girl, tall with long pink hair, wearing a large dark black overcoat adorned with white outlines that covered most of her form. Her hair stretched down far to her waist, a light pink color that distinctively stood out in the darkness of the alley. Her eyes closed, she was clutching her right arm, and her body slowly rose and fell with even breaths. She seemed to be sleeping, and Hiro would have left her there had it not been for the blood coming down from her head right across her face. It was a strict contrast from her pure white skin, providing a striking image.

He stood there for a few seconds before cautiously approaching her, his feet nimbly pressing against the ground to minimize noise. Hiro took heed not to wake her and slowly crouched down near her for examination. Her injury seemed to be bad, with blood streaming down her side. Hiro had to call an ambulance to come help her, right? Hiro got his phone out, beginning to dial, as he stood up. Hiro turned away from her as his phone rang, before they finally answered.

"Hello, 911, what is yo-"

The sound of a phone crashing to the ground was the lesser of two events as Hiro was suddenly pushed against the wall with a flurry of pink hair covering most of his sight. When the hair came to a rest, he found himself being stared down by two striking cyan eyes, cold and hard. Dangerous.

She stared at him, her green orbs maintaining contact with him as he heard his phone shatter into pieces as she stomped on it.

Well fuck that cost a lot of money too. He would've complained had it not been for her pinning him against the wall, most likely in preparation to kill him.

"Who are with?" Her voice was low, threatening, and Hiro saw her eyes wander across his body, as if examining him for any threat. Such action might have elicited a more positive reaction from him if it had been in any other situation, but given the circumstances, he could only feel himself getting colder.

"It's just me, just me, I promise," Hiro responded quickly, his wrists latched onto the wall with her hands. "I just saw you lying here bleeding so I was going to call-"

"The Klax right? You were gonna call the Klax and get me captured? Well, I'm not letting that happen," She growled, and her knee came up right between his legs. Startlingly close to his… Once again, such vicinity might have inspired a different reaction, but the circumstances prevented such. The Klax? Hiro gulped, pausing to collect his words.

"I don't know who the Klax are, I'm just a regular high school kid. Believe me, I was just trying to help-" He began but she slapped her hand over his mouth as sounds began coming from the street. Footsteps, which meant people. Which meant he might get saved. He struggled against her grip for a bit, screaming for help under her hand, but a quick knee to the stomach silenced him

"Where's the damn girl? We got the report from Gutenberg that the girl was spotted around here," A man said roughly. His voice was dark, with malintent clear in his tone. Another bad person? What the fuck was with Hiro's luck right now? Karma was being an awful bitch for Hiro just trying to help for once.

"I dunno boss. But she injured, that's for sure. Once we find her, we'll send a bullet right through her and be done with it," Another man laughed, and Hiro heard the chilling sound of a gun being loaded.

"Doesn't seem like she's around here though, she must have run," The first man said, and suddenly the footsteps stopped and began to turn the other way. Hiro let out a breath in relief, one which the girl holding him against the wall reciprocated.

"Hey, what's that bicycle doing over there?"

The girl looked him in the eyes suddenly, switching from relief to anger. They were getting closer for sure, and his pulsing heart informed him that he was absolutely fucked. And with the sound of it, Hiro felt like they would kill him just for being with her. He glanced around, seeing there was nothing to hide behind or anything. He glanced back at her again, seeing if she had a plan. Seeing her look around in panic, it didn't seem like it.

They were getting closer, and it was as if time began to slow. Each footstep was excruciatingly loud, as if to remind Hiro that each step was one step closer to death. But, given the previous situation, it seemed death was really trying to take him here, forcing two situations onto him.

Hiro pushed her off and ran to the street, where he began to walk nonchalantly. A slight whistle to add to the tone, and perfect. Immediately the men aimed their guns at him, and Hiro stopped, acting surprised, raising his hands in the air. They were large and bulky, wearing black muscle shirts, and their arms were adorned with blue tattoos, though the tattoos didn't seem to be making anything, they were just blue lines. The black guns they held seemed to point at Hiro's very soul, and he felt his chest being constricted, as if death really was wrapping around him.

"Wait! Don't shoot! I'm just a kid!" Hiro yelled, dropping down to the ground. He looked over to the left at the alley, where the girl stood, staring back at him. He shot her a look, hoping that it was conveying a "trust me" look rather than a "I'm about to piss my pants from fear" look.

The men looked at each other, before beckoning him forwards. Hiro gulped, walking slowly to them, tense. They immediately began patting him down, seeing if he was armed. When they fully checked him, they kept their guns aimed while the largest one stood in front of Hiro, staring into his eyes.

"What're you doing out here kid?" He asked, his voice harsh and stern. His eyes were black, and his very aura was intimidating. Hiro's mind racked for the best answer, one to give quickly. Of course, his mind was completely and utterly blank, and his racing heart didn't help any either.

"I was… uhm… out with my girlfriend. Since I can't take her home or anything," Hiro answered, feigning shyness, as he looked down on the ground. A pause seemed to hold all of them to a still, and Hiro swore he heard his sweat drip onto the ground below. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the man sighed and gestured to the others, signaling to lower their guns.

"That your bike kid?" He asked, to which Hiro nodded fervently. "You know what the blood next to it is?"

Hiro froze. The blood. Fuck, the blood. What could he say, what could he say?

"Y-yeah, I fell off my bike. I wasn't paying attention to the roadblock, so I scratched myself a bit," Hiro revealed his forearm, which was indeed coated with a large scrape, blood slightly seeping out.

Another pause overtook them, and Hiro felt the red knot of existence being strung, tightening from the stress. Finally, the man nodded, as if accepting his answer.

"One last question. You seen a girl around here, long pink hair? She's wanted, a serial killer. If you have, you'd better tell us, or you might be her next target,"

Hiro paused, and he realized this could be his chance. She had tried to kill him after all. But he didn't feel right giving her away, and these guys seemed to be equally as bad or even worse than her.

"Nah. Haven't seen anyone like that around, and I've been through most of these alleys with my girl. We would've noticed if she was peeping on us," Hiro chuckled lightly, as he walked backwards to his bike. They just nodded before turning back, walking back from where they came from. Hiro watched them leave, before being pulled into the alley again, where the girl once again pinned him to the wall, this time with much less force.

She held her hand against his mouth again, blocking his words as her eyes scanned him one more time, as if doing a reexamination. Hiro would have struggled, but this time didn't feel as threatening. Plus, the attention felt… nice, strangely enough. Finally, she slowly released him, backing up a bit.

"Not a Klax?" She asked out loud simply, tilting her head as she continued to stare him down.

"Yeah, of course not," Hiro responded, his throat feeling drier than before. "Who are you anyways?"

Seemingly ignoring him, her eyes made their way back to his own, and a strange look overtook her. It looked like recognition, which was weird given that Hiro had absolutely no idea who this girl was.

"You look awfully like someone I used to know," She murmured, raising her hand to caress his cheek, an action that Hiro nearly yelped at. "Are you my darling?"

Silence overtook the atmosphere as they looked at each other, her with hope, him with confusion. Hiro cleared his throat, unsure of how to answer. Her darling? What does she mean by that? Like, romantically? Hiro certainly wouldn't mind being her darling, but as of now… he had no clue who she even was.

"Uhm, no. I think you have the wrong guy," Hiro mumbled awkwardly, turning away from her striking gaze.

"Unfortunate. I really thought you were," She finally said after a while, letting go of his face, allowing him the chance to finally relax. "Oh well."

Hiro stood awkwardly in front of her, his hand attaching itself to his wrist, rotating it in circles. "Anyways, I had asked earlier, who exactly are yo-"

She licked his cheek suddenly, to his astonishment, and Hiro yelped, flinching back further into the wall as she smiled and licked her lips. "I like it. You taste dangerous. You sure you aren't my darling?" She murmured as she seemed to savor Hiro's taste.

She turned around, walking through the alley, leaving Hiro behind to stay there, still under shock from her action. He was definitely reddening up, and this time it seemed circumstance finally allowed such a reaction. She had just… licked him! _Licked_ him! But, strangely, Hiro found it… alluring. He had every right to be disgusted, but he found himself attracted.

Damn teenage hormones, being weird again.

"Wait! What's your name?" He called out, and she paused, turning her head to give him a look. Her eyes glowed in the dark alley, and they seemed to pull him closer, an endless vortex drawing him in. With blood crawling down her face, one would think that such a scene might have emerged from a horror movie. But no, in fact, it was nearly the opposite. Standing there, with her long pink hair flowing in the wind, her perfect complexion being invaded by the red pool of blood, she looked simply… beautiful.

"Doesn't matter. I'll see you around, darling," She called out, before running and turning the corner. Hiro stared back where she had run, reddening up slightly. Darling? She was probably just teasing him, but he couldn't help but feel this wave of energy rush him over. Darling? He kind of… liked it.

Hiro slid down the wall to a sitting position, clutching his insatiable heart. It was… exhilarating. This whole experience. She made his heart race, not necessarily in the romantic fashion, but just in general. Being with her gave him a sense of excitement he hadn't felt in a long time. But also romantically, as his mind found itself fixated to her tongue on his cheek. And the way she looked at him afterwards, and the way her eyes just shone so perfectly in the evening tone.

She was seriously beautiful. And Hiro was seriously tied up in his hormones.

He finally went back to the street and picked up his bike, getting onto it and taking an alternate route home now that the first one was blocked. As he cycled back home, Hiro couldn't get her out of his head. Her and her long pink hair. Ahead of him, the golden rays of light finally dissipated, leaving the night as his only spectator.

**The Prince Meets the Princess**

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! This is the first chapter, and if you would like to learn more about my progress, please visit my profile. One error that I made while creating this story was using first person point of view initially, and this was done for the first four chapters. If you spot the use of I, me, or my, please inform me so I may fix it.


	2. 02

**02**

**Icarus flew. He lived the dream. But happiness cannot last.**

**He**

**FELL**

**And he died.**

"What is the purpose of life? It's a tough question, because everyone feels like they have different purposes. But if one had to give one universal answer, what would it be?" Professor Cain asked as the students all sat in her classroom. It was a small class, as many don't take Theory of Knowledge. But Hiro had taken it, as it seemed to be an interesting side class. There were about 10 other students, and they all sat there attentively, but with no answer.

The purpose of life? Well, there could be many answers. He certainly wished he knew his, but he did know the broad response that fit his belief.

"To reproduce," One student answered, and Professor Cain scoffed.

"Maybe biologically. But to us, what is our purpose?"

"To do whatever we can for society," Hiro answered strongly, believing in his answer. Because it was true. We all live for one purpose, and while it may differ from one to another, it is to benefit society.

Professor Cain turned to him, a smile dancing on her lips. "You really are stuck on that society stuff, hmm? Well answer this. What is your purpose?"

Hiro stared blankly at her, his mind pausing. "I don't know yet."

"And that's fine too. But the most common answer I hear is to find happiness. Do you believe that?" Professor Cain asked, staring at him curiously.

He didn't know how to answer that one either.

* * *

The question stuck with Hiro all day, and he began to wonder, was he happy? It was ridiculous to think about, given that he was surrounded by such supportive friends and he was certainly living a great life. But was he happy? In truth, Hiro felt empty. Like he was missing something. But he just didn't know what was missing. Ever since meeting that girl a few days ago, a certain part of his mind felt completely void, and he found himself spacing out multiple times.

In fact, it descended even deeper than that. At nights, Hiro would consistently dream of the same location. One large tree, under a wintry atmosphere that provided the snow to complete the setting. It overarched seemingly all of existence, yet he was just there. Unable to move, or anything. Just a spectator before the grandeur that was the tree. The dream would then end, and he would wake up in his bed, uncertain of what he just bore witness to. With no answer, he would try to go back to sleep, to no avail. Thus, he was extremely sleep deprived, and school served no help in that regard either.

Plus, since the accident, he had been left furiously in the dark. Everything seemed to just serve to impede his path, desperately stopping him from searching for the truth. He had made no progress, and it was frustrating to say the least.

Hiro contemplated all this as he walked through the mall with his friends, who were chatting amongst themselves. They had arrived just as school ended, and with the weekend upcoming, it seemed to be the perfect opportunity to hang out. Goro had suggested it, and the walk there was pleasant, with Zorome and Miku setting aside differences for a whole five minutes before an argument broke out.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Ichigo asked as she fell back to walk with him, holding her hands behind her back. She wore her school uniform, a gray outfit with a large red star-like figure etched in the middle. Her hair was its normal form, with it descending downwards on one side, the other held by a silver hairclip.

A silver hairclip that he had gifted her. It had been a long time ago, for Christmas. She's worn it ever since, a sentimental gift of their friendship.

"No, I was just thinking about something from one of my classes," Hiro told her in response, offering her a light smile. "Anyways, how's school been for you so far?"

"It's been really good. I'm glad we all got in. I can tell why it's so prestigious," She adjusted her bangs as she walked alongside me, something she did quite often. She seemed to have something in mind as our conversation lulled for a second, before she shook her head. "Though, it sucks that I didn't get any classes with you."

"Better be glad you got one class with this guy though!" Zorome grinned as he pointed at himself, looking back at us.

"Not even. You guys are so lucky, I got stuck with four whole classes with this idiot!" Miku exclaimed exasperatedly, and Zorome turned to her.

"More like I'm stuck with four whole classes with you!" Zorome waved his arms in protest, and Miku sighed in utter pain.

"Really? I can tell all our teachers already absolutely hate you, but who wouldn't? You're always talking like really you think you'd be able to stop talking for one sec- "

"My ass I'm always talking it's you! God you're just so annoying like you would think that for a girl you'd be more quaint and nice but noooo you're always-"

Everyone watched in amusement as those two bickered, and Hiro turned to Futoshi, who was looking at the bakery on the side. He was tall with short brown hair, with a kind personality, but also playful. He was on the larger side of the scale, and he seemed to always obsess over food. He was close to Zorome, and the two always seemed to get into some mischievous acts together.

"Hey Futoshi, want to get a pastry with me?" Hiro asked, and Futoshi nodded enthusiastically, perking up to his attention, and they walked in together. It was a small bakery, with glass panels to showcase their various products. "I know you know a lot about these things, so tell me which one tastes the best."

"Really? Well, if that's the case, there's these killer cream cheese custards, or this red bean roll, or oh wow they even have raisin hot cross buns," Futoshi exclaimed, going on and on about the various bread-related products. Eventually, Hiro just chose to get a shortbread cookie, while Futoshi purchased things ranging from pies to rolls.

"You sure do know a lot about these things," Hiro chuckled while eating his cookie, turning to Futoshi. "You want to be a baker one day?"

"Would I! That's my dream, but I'm not sure how successful I would be at it, given I would eat everything I cook," He laughed sheepishly, and Hiro nodded acceptingly.

"Yeah but still, I bet you'd make a fantastic baker," Hiro shot him a grin, one he reciprocated happily. They walked again in silence as they slowly made their way back to the group, Hiro slowly chewing down his cookie, not noticing the fact that Futoshi, for once, was not eating.

"Hey, Hiro, do you think Kokoro would like to share these with me?" Futoshi asked after a bit, looking at the ground nervously. Kokoro? Hiro looked at him questioningly, before giving Futoshi a smirk.

"Aww, does Futoshi have a crush on Kokoro?" Hiro teased, placing his hand over his mouth mockingly, to which Futoshi reacted by turning red. "I'm just teasing you, yeah, I bet she would love it if you shared those with her."

"Really? It's just being around her makes my stomach hurl sometimes and my chest tighten," Futoshi sighed and stared forwards, his hands clutching his heart. Hiro smiled at him, glad that he was feeling such a way. Kokoro was always a nice girl, though he always had the feeling she was into more serious guys. But he didn't know her that well, and maybe Futoshi would be the perfect one for her.

Once again silence befell them, and Hiro realized that at their age, crushes and romance were the norm. He wondered who else in their group had crushes, and he internally mused over Miku and Zorome, who despite their differences, Hiro was sure they would make a great couple.

"Hey Futoshi," Hiro began, rubbing his neck slightly as he quickly pivoted the conversation. "What do you think the purpose of life is?"

Futoshi paused and stared at Hiro, confused. Hiro kept looking forwards, and his hands awkwardly fell into his pockets. Why had Hiro asked him that? Such a deep question was definitely not a part of normal conversation. So why had he asked? After some introspective thinking, Hiro realized it must have been because Futoshi already knew what he wanted to be. A baker. So, with that certainty in his life, perhaps he could provide a different perspective to Hiro's belief. In retrospect, this one moment might have been the greatest turning point of his life.

"Well for me, it's to eat. But for others, it's got to be happiness, right? To find happiness should be every human's goal," Futoshi answered concisely after a while, finally getting his food out and chomping on some bread. "Why, what do you think?"

"Happiness, huh," Hiro echoed uncertainly. The same thing Professor Cain said. "Do you think you're happy right now, Futoshi?"

"Well, yeah," Futoshi responded after a pause. "I mean, I'm surrounded by great people and we're always having fun together. Is something wrong, Hiro?"

"Nah, it's just something that's been bugging me. My Theory of Knowledge professor asked us that, so it's been on my mind," Hiro answered off-handedly, processing his answer. He feels the same way as Hiro, yet Futoshi can certainly say he's happy. Hiro wasn't sure if he could.

"Alright, that makes sense then," Futoshi said cautiously. "But yeah, I'd say it's just to find happiness. Why else are we here?"

A flash of pink caught Hiro's eye, and he turned, but didn't see anything. Hiro paused, wondering if he should check it out, hoping that it was the girl from a few days back. But the chances were slim, and Hiro decidedly just turned back to Futoshi.

"That's why I kind of admire Zorome. He's impulsive, which isn't always good, but sometimes, you just have to follow your instinct to find happiness. Which is why I want to share this with Kokoro," Futoshi lifted his bag of goods, and Hiro paused again, processing Futoshi's words. First of all, admire Zorome? Second, follow his instinct? He turned back to the flash of pink, and he could feel his feet urging him to walk that way.

What's the worst that could happen anyways? It was actually her, and she thinks its weird that Hiro's basically stalking her, so she kills him right then and there?

"Hey Futoshi, you catch up with the others. I just remembered I have to pick something up, so I'll go get it and catch up with you all," Hiro told his friend, to which Futoshi nodded.

"Alright Hiro. Thanks for the talk, it was interesting," Futoshi waved, and Hiro waved back as the brown-haired boy walked back towards where our group headed. Hiro strolled over to where he had seen the pink, looking around. Nothing. The mall was a big place, so even if the girl were here, there was no way that he'd be able to meet her here anyways.

But he still had to try, right?

Hiro kept his hand attached to his wrist as the escalator ascended to the second floor, looking at all the people. Upon reaching the second floor, he continued his search, but with each step he could feel his waning belief that he would find her.

Hiro turned the corner, finding himself face to face with an olive-brown haired teenager. He wore a uniform, one similar to Hiro's, and his hard-green eyes paused as he looked upon Hiro, his face clear of any emotion.

"Hiro," Mitsuru said simply, but with an utter lack of emotion. He seemed to be alone.

"Hey Mitsuru," Hiro gave him a smile, one that was not returned as Mitsuru's gaze left him. They stood awkwardly, as none of them felt comfortable being the first to leave. Hiro stared uncertainly back at him, reminiscing back to his childhood.

They had used to be great friends, hanging out often as children, and they would excitedly explore the bounds of their childhood, poking and prodding at any restricting set on them, much to the complaint of Ichigo.

But one day, Mitsuru came cold to Hiro. The boy decidedly stopped talking to Hiro, and their relationship shattered, just like that. Given that it was so long ago, Hiro couldn't even remember what caused it. All he knew was that he still felt guilty, though he wasn't sure exactly why.

"How's Mistilteinn been for you?" Hiro asked in a friendly manner, hoping to ease the awkward mood that had fallen onto them.

"Good. And you?" Mitsuru answered sternly, still not looking at Hiro. Mitsuru's hands were stuck in his pockets, and his still figure only made the thick atmosphere worse.

"Yeah, it's been good," Hiro bit his lip, unsure of how to continue. This was the first time he had spoken to Mitsuru in ages. A sudden lightbulb hit him, and he realized this could be an opportunity to figure out why exactly they had split. "Hey Mitsuru, -"

"I've got to go. It was nice seeing you, Hiro," Mitsuru interrupted Hiro drily, walking away quickly. Hiro could only watch him go, and Hiro's hand wrung around his wrist. Mitsuru disappeared through the escalator, and Hiro found himself continuing his quest.

It was unfortunate. Hiro didn't like how the relations between the two had broken, and he desperately wanted to fix it. But it seemed such a feeling was unreciprocated, and Hiro had to respect that. Didn't he? Hiro's hands found themselves absent-mindedly searching for his phone, before he recalled that complete destruction had occurred earlier this week, leaving him without it.

Hiro continued walking on his lonesome as the brilliant flashes of electronic billboards flashed from the ceiling and countless amounts of people walked around. Every now and then he would see a girl with pink hair, but it was never the girl Hiro was looking for.

Eventually he came to a standstill, reaching one of the dead ends of the mall. Hiro sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. Well, guess instinct didn't always lead you to happiness. Besides, she had probably just forgotten about Hiro anyways. It would be weird to try and find her, after all, he was just a high schooler.

Hiro turned back, his mind berating upon him for wasting the day trying to desperately grasp a small string of hope. Why did he even want to see her? In hopes that she would just try and kill him again? He scoffed internally at himself. Hiro knew exactly why he wanted to see her. The exhilaration. The excitement. The utter _emotion_ she brought within him was something that he hadn't felt in so long. Of course Hiro was desperately grasping at it, it was the only hope that he might be able to find it.

Happiness.

"Hiro?" He heard his name being called, and Hiro turned around to see a large bulky man, dressed in a simple black long sleeve with khaki joggers to finish the outfit. His black hair was cleanly slicked back, and his shining white teeth glared at him as the man smiled.

"Hey Leven," Hiro greeted with a smile, bowing slightly as Leven came to stand next to him.

"No need for formalities, Hiro," Leven smiled as he perched Hiro back up to his original posture, keeping a hand on his back. "You've been handling yourself well?"

"Yeah, of course," Hiro looked away, awkwardly answering. It was a blatant lie, of course, but what else would Leven have expected with a question like that.

"Hey, meet my friends," Leven turned the conversation, gesturing to two men standing behind him. "Guys, this is Hiro. Hiro, this is Moho and Calico. They're some colleagues of mine."

Hiro shook their hands as they nodded before me, and Moho turned towards Leven. "The Strell child?" He asked quietly, though Hiro overheard. Annoyed, Hiro wondered why he had to be referred to by that last name. Did they know his parents too? Leven nodded in response. They looked at Hiro, and Calico offered the young teen a reassuring smile.

"Glad to see you here, Hiro, but you should probably be getting home soon. It's late. Here, I can call you an Uber," Leven began, but Hiro shook his head.

"It's fine, I can just walk," He said easily, shaking off Leven's offer. Strangely, the men looked between themselves, uncertainty clear in their faces as they seemed to converse through their eyes.

"Alright, just be careful. It's getting late, and some weird stuff has been happening around here," Level patted Hiro on the back, sending him off. Hiro raised an eyebrow at the second statement, questioning its integrity. Weird stuff? Like what?

He just ignored it though and waved a farewell as he began to leave, heading down the escalator. The mall was certainly clearing out as the closing time inched closer, leaving just him and various other people.

It was strange meeting Leven here. Leven used to be Hiro's parents' agent, and Hiro saw him often enough to where he knew Leven quite well. But it had been a while, at least, since the accident. Hiro had seen him a couple of times directly after, but Leven had been largely absent in Hiro's life for the past two years. That is, until today.

It was interesting to Hiro how Calico and Moho looked nearly exactly alike, just large bulky men. Similar to Leven actually. Though, a difference was that Moho had this blue tattoo etched on his hand. However, it wasn't really anything discernable. Just lines.

Hiro paused. Blue lines? Where had he seen that before? Hiro's stomach plunged as he remembered to the incident a week back, with the girl. And the three men looking for her. They each had blue lines, like the one Moho had on his hand.

Certainly coincidence, right? But Hiro's mind couldn't help but wander towards the possibility that Moho might be associated with them. What had the girl called them again? The Klax? And if Moho was a part of them, why was Leven hanging out with him?

Hiro decided to stop thinking about it, given that it was largely just assumptions. Perhaps those lines were a part of an actual tattoo that was etched on his forearm, which had been covered. Hiro closed the discussion in his head as simply coincidence and continued his way to the exit.

The night sky welcomed Hiro into its arms, the cold winds shattering all remnants of warmth Hiro had kept. He shivered underneath its wretched jabs, and stepped forwards, and immediately noticed her to his left.

She leaned against the wall, sucking on a lollipop innocently, as she gazed out towards the moon. She wore a simple white shirt overcoated by a red jacket, black leggings and boots completing her look. The arms of the jacket hung loosely to the side as she didn't wear it completely, choosing to hide her arms underneath it instead.

"Were you looking for me?" She smirked as she looked at Hiro, her chilling cyan eyes examining him, a teasing glint in them. Hiro was frozen underneath her gaze, and he felt his heart begin to accelerate. It was her… She was actually here.

"Me? Looking for you? No way, never," Hiro lied straight through his teeth, leaning against the wall in nonchalant fashion to further enforce his fib. He earned a laugh in response, and it was such a sweet sound, one that suddenly gave light to the darkness that surrounded them. He was determined to hear that laugh again.

"You don't have to lie to me darrrr-ling," She drawled out her words as she slowly walked towards Hiro. She rested the tip of her finger against his chest, slowly sliding up till it hit his chin, her eyes following it the entire time. She suddenly glanced upwards at Hiro's eyes, and they held contact. Hiro found himself struggling to restrain his beating heart, but at the same time unable to break eye contact. "So does my darling have a name, or do I have to keep calling you darling?"

Hiro reddened, finally under control as he turned his head away from her paralyzing stare. "H-Hiro. My name's Hiro," He murmured in response, and his body felt numb, a combo attack in tandem with the cold stabs of the winter.

"Hiro. Hiro, Hiro, Hiro, Hiro," She repeated, the word rolling off her lips playfully as she gave him a smirk. "I like it, Hiro,"

"What about yours? What should I call you?" Hiro asked, still trying to calm himself as his heart threatened to explode against his chest. Why did she have to be so close? Couldn't she back up some, give him some personal space or something?

"Hmmm. Some people call me Zero Two," She finally said, flicking her finger off Hiro's chin and backing up, as if she could read his mind, allowing the boy a chance to finally breathe. "It's my code."

"Your code?" Hiro questioned, raising an eyebrow. What does she mean, a code?

She turned back to him, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "Tell me, darling, what do you think about me?" She evaded his question, walking back to Hiro and placing herself against the wall, her shoulder gently brushing against his.

"Honestly? I don't know. I don't know anything about you, but…" Hiro began, pausing to collect his words. She stared curiously, and her eyes urged him to continue, nearly begging. "It's strange. I find you… alluring. I can't help but think about you. You're a mystery unsolved to me, and I want to find out more about you."

Hiro could feel his cheeks redden, and he looked away as the words he had just said began processing. Geez, was he embarrassing. She probably thought he was beyond weird now, saying something like that when this was their first real conversation.

Hiro felt her body come closer to his, a sudden warmth that Hiro's body eagerly received, and her hand gently caressed his face as she turned his chin, connecting their eyes again. "You want to know more about me, hmm?" She drawled her words again, her eyes lit with an unknown emotion. She gave him a smile, before grabbing his hand and walking away, dragging Hiro along.

"Where are we going?" He asked, stumbling as he regained his balance and began walking next to her.

"Just follow me," She said, shooting Hiro a toothy grin, her canines on full showcase. "I have something to show you."

Hiro simply followed her, unable to do anything else, mind remaining silent as his heart decidedly took the lead.

* * *

"So you wanted to know more about me? Ask me. Anything," Zero Two turned to look at Hiro as the duo waited idly in an elevator. It had been a pitch-black building they had entered, seemingly abandoned. Yet the elevator seemed to function, given that they were indeed ascending.

Hiro swallowed as he thought, wondering what he should ask her about. There were lots of things unknown about her. Hell, he only really knew her name, and that was it.

"How old are you?" Hiro decided to begin simply. She looked to be around his age, but he wasn't certain.

"16," She gave me a teasing look, a glint in her eye. "Why? You thought me to be some child predator or something?"

"I mean, you did lick me that one time," Hiro brought up with a raised eyebrow, and she just laughed happily in return. A win in his books.

"How could I not? Plus, you tasted good," She licked her lips, and her eyes sultrily glanced at his lips. "Really good."

Hiro looked away as he felt the heat rising to his face again, determined to steel his emotions. Damn. She was good. Every time she flirted with him, he fell apart like pudding in a meat grinder. "I'm 16 too, if you wanted to know," Hiro added in an effort to conceal his growing blush.

"I know. I could tell from your taste," She said simply, as if truly believing what she had just said. She was looking at her nails, and she still wore her jacket in the same way, her arms perched underneath it.

Silence befell the two as Hiro thought for his second question. It was strange. He found himself lacking them, despite his yearn to learn more about her. What could he even ask her? His mind wandered back to their initial meeting, the way she was just lying there in the alley, bleeding.

"Explain what you were doing when we first met," Hiro asked, and she looked up at him, putting her hand back down to her side. She seemed uncertain, and her jaw shifted from side to side as she seemed to think, her eyes occasionally glancing towards his.

"Do you know what kind of gangs are around here?" Her mouth finally opened after a period of silence, exempt the rumbling of the elevator. She tilted her head as she spoke, and her eyes seemed to be digging through him.

"Uhm, not really," Hiro awkwardly responded, his hands lying idly in his pockets. Gangs? Why did she bring up gangs?

"Well, there are two mostly. The Klax. Those were the guys with the blue tattoos looking for me," She explained, voice full of disgust as she mentioned the first gang. "Then there's the Franxx. That's the gang I'm a part of."

"You're a part of a gang?" Hiro spurted out, and she nodded easily.

"Of course," She said as if it were the most obvious statement she had ever made, before continuing. "Well, we've been in a gang war for a while. It began even before I was born. Before we met in the alley, the Klax tried an ambush on me, and I took down a few before taking a few scrapes. I escaped, but I must have collapsed from blood loss or the sort. That's when you found me."

A gang. Hiro nearly burst out in laughter, but the serious look on Zero Two's face instead caused him to consider the truth in her statement. A gang. She… Zero Two… a part of a gang? Well, it would certainly make sense, given that she did have those strange men looking for her. Her hard aura also complimented the guise, along with her ease towards violence.

But still, to imagine Zero Two as a… gang member. It was certainly surprising. Still uncertain as to whether she was truthful or crafting an insanely elaborate prank, Hiro decided to test her further.

"So what do you do in the gang?" Hiro asked, and she shot him a toothy grin, as if glad to answer that.

"Isn't it obvious? I kill people."

The space in the elevator seemed to grow smaller, and the glint in her eye sparked with an undetectable emotion. Hiro felt his heart pumping, and he stood there, watching her for a moment. K-kill people? Was she being serious? No way, right? Right?

The elevator dinged, and Zero Two jumped out, into the dark blanket that covered the sky. They were on the roof now. She paused for a second, before turning to look at Hiro.

"You have two options, darling," Zero Two stated, leaning back into the elevator. "You can take it back down, and I won't ever bother you again. Or…" She finished her statement by beckoning Hiro forwards, before turning around and walking further out into the roof, leaving him to himself in the elevator.

Hiro felt his stomach plummet as he already knew his answer. His mind protested in every possible way, insisting that such a decision would lead to surefire death. She even admitted it, she killed people. She was a gang member. Every single cell that made up his brain compelled him to close that elevator door and get back to the ground floor, go back home, and forget her.

Yet…

He saw Zero Two sit at the edge of the roof, looking up at the moon sky. In the large expanse of the cityscape, she looked… lonely. All alone in this huge world. It was a strange revelation, and a wild assumption on top of that. But he couldn't help but feel he had to go out there. Not just for her, but for him too. Her still form outlined by the dead city, her small body huddled in her jacket, vulnerable to the world. In that, he could see himself too.

Maybe she really was alone. But a certainty was that Hiro felt alone, and maybe she could provide the way out, the way he had been searching for.

Hiro felt his mind curse his every step as he left the elevator, marching decidedly over to Zero Two.

He sat next to her, his feet dangling towards the city streets hundreds of feet below. Cars passed by, and streetlamps dimly lit the surface. Zero Two shot him an uncertain glance. He stared back at her, and he realized she hadn't been certain whether he would come out or not. Her eyes were a soft green, warm in the hearth, as if inviting him closer.

"So you actually came out, huh," She stated simply, her fingers twirling amongst themselves, only further indicating her uneasiness. "I thought you would have headed back down."

"Nope, I'm not done figuring you out yet," Hiro smiled lightly at her, and she looked away, this time her cheeks reddening slightly as she stared out at the city. She seemed so… pure, sitting atop this roof. And, once again, Hiro found himself deciding to save his image in his mind. She truly, once again, looked beautiful.

"You're crazy then," Zero Two decided, to which Hiro laughed at. "You're beyond crazy. Fit for a mental asylum really."

"Maybe I am. But still," Hiro looked out at the city, the large expanse that surrounded him. It was so dark, with small, dim, flashing lights keeping it alive. And he realized, sitting up here, atop the entire world, with this strange pink haired girl alongside him, his heart attempting to topple the highest recorded heartbeat in human history, that maybe… this was the way towards happiness. "I'm going to be sticking around for a while."

"Are you sure? I'm annoying," She began, and she seemed to huddle even closer into her jacket, as if hiding herself from Hiro. "I'm weird, I'm scary, I'm uncertain. I'm a killer, I'm dangerous, I'm a gang member. I did mention I kill people, right? I'm… a monster."

She truly believed that. In the openness of the night sky, she seemed to pour herself out to him, and Hiro realized that his analysis was correct. Sitting out here, she was alone, despite the front she put out before, pushing her confidence onto him.

She was alone.

He was alone too.

He grabbed her hand, gently pulling at her to look at him. She turned, and he saw the guard in her eyes, the walls she had placed around herself.

"You're no monster," Hiro whispered softly, and the entire city seemed to freeze, the only sound being his voice, gently lifted by the night winds. They dutifully carried them to her, and his very words seemed to make her shiver. "Maybe you might be a gang member, maybe you might be dangerous. But I don't care. I'm staying, so you better get used to me."

"You're going to regret that," Zero Two whispered back, noticeably shaking. Her eyes remained averted from his, and her entire form emitted uncertainty.

He hesitantly raised his hand, placing it softly against her cheek, and her eyes turned to lock onto his. Her beautiful green orbs of life. They seemed to hold the answer to every question he had. A part in the back of his mind shook, as if screaming to be released.

"Make me, then."

Under the cold autumn night, only the moon watched as the duo found themselves, and the glass walls began to crack. Even the freezing winds shied away from the exploding warmth as the two connected lips.

**The Princess Reveals Herself**

**Author's Note: **Not much to say again, just that if any grammatical errors are found, especially those consisting of the use of I, me, or my instead of the correct wordage, please inform me. Otherwise, feel free to follow, rate, or review. I appreciate constructive criticism, or even just kind words if you have any to give me.


	3. 03

**03**

**To save his wife. His love. Orpheus went down. Down. Down. Down.**

**He played his lyre, and the music opened everything.**

**But one fatal mistake.**

**He**

**TURNED**

It was cold. The brilliant white snow laid out upon the ground, expanding forever, a barren wasteland of sleet. Except for, that is, the large tree sprawled out in front of him, rooted to the ground. Its white oak beckoned Hiro forwards, its colorless leaves blowing in the wintry atmosphere. He let the soft white particles part in his hands as he touched it, and the realism in its touch was frightening given that it was a dream. He grasped forwards, his hands reaching for the tree in front of him, wondering how it felt.

But Hiro was stuck in the snow, unable to move forwards. The snow tightly latched onto his legs, leaving him waist-high in the ground. No matter the struggle, no progress was made. Thus, there was no point in even trying.

It really was chilly, and Hiro shivered as he brought his hands closer to himself to conserve the warmth. Instead, it offered nothing, and his warmth only seemed to be sapped away. He scowled uncomfortably, furiously shaking as the cold continued its brutal attack. Wait…

He gave another glance at his hands, to see that they were much smaller than usual, chubbier in a childlike way. Was he… a kid again? He quickly patted his entire body to confirm. Ears? Check. Arms? Check. Body? Check. Everything was most definitely smaller than he was used to. Now the question was, why was Hiro a kid again?

He looked back to the tree, which gave him no answer. However, such was the norm in this place apparently, as he was unable to find an answer to any question about this place. Why was it always this tree? For the past week, it's always been this tree haunting his dreams, and even before that, he would have periods of time where this was the only thing he could dream of. Ever since he was… Eight? Maybe nine even. But the point was that this tree seemed to be a staple of his life now, and its sudden reappearance was not gladly accepted.

Perhaps he could get answers if he tried to explore. If only he could just move, maybe he could get closer to touch the tantalizing bark that stared back at him. He struggled against the snow, but it seemed to only latch on tighter the more he moved, like a Chinese finger trap. So he relaxed, giving up, and once again just looked at the tree with its long extending branches seeming to go on forever.

It was becoming annoying, really. To just sit here before this tree. Every night, he found himself here. Nothing to do, nothing to watch. Just this god damned tree. Then he would wake up, way earlier than usual, try to go back to sleep, but fail. Then he would go to school, sleep during Maths, get chastised by the teacher, and be tired the whole day. It was a brutal cycle that left him no opportunity to find himself in the peace of the night.

So to say he was annoyed was really just the least of it. This single dream had become the very end of him, forcing him to the end of his own wits as he was left deprived of any rest he could get. Perhaps it was finally time to get an appointment, maybe a therapist even.

However, a sudden discrepancy caught his eye. Out in the horizon, was that… What was that? A large black fog-like void seemed to be growing, and Hiro looked around. It was coming from all directions! It slowly ate up all that was, coming closer and closer to Hiro. It was like a smog, and he could feel the bad intentions radiating off it.

Suddenly, a blaring static exploded throughout, and Hiro clutched his ears in pain as his eyes closed shut, unable to withstand such a torrent of agony. It even began to invade his head, locking him out of his thoughts as Hiro could feel his strength withered away.

He struggled against the snow again, but like before, it stubbornly locked him to the ground, preventing his escape. He wildly turned, and the black void seemed to be growing at a faster rate. It began latching onto the tree, eating it up, and Hiro felt his panic rising. He had to escape, or face death. But in such a state, escape was impossible. He could only let out a wild cry for help as it began to close in onto him, its expansion a wildly sporadic movement.

It latched onto his arms, and he could see them disappearing into the dark expanse. He fought, but the void quickened, viciously hungering for more. The static only grew in magnitude as he was sucked further in. It ate at him, and he could feel his very life being seeped away. Soon, he couldn't even scream as it stole his mouth away, and soon, his eyes were taken in a similar fashion.

…

It was black. Though, Hiro was certain it wasn't from the blindness brought upon him from the void. No, he was in the void, floating in its nothingness. It was… strange, just floating. Endlessly. He couldn't feel any of his limbs, it was as if his body just didn't exist.

Suddenly, a voice rang out across the space. Hiro perked up, alert as he waited for it again. There! A feminine one, a very familiar one… Ichigo? She was saying something, but he couldn't hear her. Her voice sounded like it was underwater, and Hiro strained to listen. He began to make out her words, eventually realizing what she was saying.

"Hiro? You told me to remember this… -"

* * *

Ringing. That's all he could hear. A _briiiing _noise that constantly repeated over and over. It was immensely irritating, especially given his circumstances. Hiro tried to shut it out, trying to listen to Ichigo's voice. What had he told her to remember? But her voice was gone now, leaving him to reality, and Hiro could feel the cold bed beneath him, causing him to groan as he rolled out of bed. Despite the dream, he definitely didn't feel as tired as he had been these past nights. Perhaps it was the strange event that had occurred, taking him away from the tree for the first time.

Why was his alarm ringing? He wasn't used to that sound, given that he had been waking up so early lately. He clumsily grabbed for his phone, a new one that he had bought over the weekend. A slim black design, an exact copy of his previous one. 9:30? Hiro collapsed back into bed, searching for the warmth of his blankets. He snuggled easily into them, giving a content sigh as he shivered, remembering the cold that he had been in previously. Thinking about it, 9:30 was actually pretty good, given his usual routine. It was the weekend, after all.

…

Except it wasn't the weekend. It was Wednesday. Hiro exploded upwards, grabbing his phone as he nearly tripped running out of his room. Fuck, it was Wednesday! He was late to school!

His feet cringed against the numbing wood floor, but such reaction was largely ignored as Hiro dashed into the restroom, quickly applying the toothpaste to his toothbrush. Fuck, he was late. He was really really late.

He rigorously brushed his teeth as his mind rang out with beratement. _"How could you sleep in late! On a Wednesday too! You have school!" _His mind seemed to scream as he reached into his closet, toothbrush still in mouth as he quickly grabbed clothes. His normal school uniform, along with black socks and some shoes. He quickly tugged his pants on, hopping one legged around as he tried to organize his things.

Back in the restroom, he hastily spat out the remaining residue in his mouth, gargling and then running downstairs, putting his jacket on at the same time. He found his backpack on the kitchen table, grabbing it and taking a cold poptart as well, his keys jangling as he locked the door behind him and quickly ran. He nearly doubled back for his bike but decided against it.

The autumn morning was gentle, with a mild city life busying itself around while Hiro ran through the streets, sporadically chewing his poptart. The nimble winds seemed to lift Hiro, pushing him faster as he raced his way to Mistilteinn.

Now that he was out of the house, he had time to think again. His mind wandered back to the dream he had, the reason he was late. Why had Ichigo spoken in his dream? Supposedly, he had asked her something, to remember something. But what?

She sounded young in his dream too. Her voice had been higher pitch, more childlike. Which meant that if such an event had happened, it must have been way back in the past. He stressed his mind to remember, thinking of his childhood. But it remained blank, unable to give an answer. There must be a million things he had asked her to remember for him throughout childhood, but for him to remember it, it must have been important.

Unable to find an answer, he finally settled on the likelihood that it was nothing. The tree was most likely some nonsensical fantasy that he had been dreaming about for no other reason than his mind was strange. Which meant that the part where Ichigo had spoken was fake as well, right?

But still… it had been the first time something else had happened. Each other time, Hiro had been just standing before the tree, endlessly watching. But this time, that void had come, taking it all away. The irate static that had exploded throughout his being as the void expanded. And then there was Ichigo's voice, telling him something. If only he could remember, but he had nothing.

Hiro groaned internally, unable to make sense in it. He decided to reserve that discussion for later as he turned the corner to Mistilteinn High, where the pristine steps welcomed him. He climbed up them, finally being able to slow his run, however quickly paused.

At the top of the steps was a woman, tall, with long red-brown hair. She wore a uniform, the standard for the staff at the school. It was Nana.

At Mistilteinn, students were assigned to one of many counselors, who would manage their school schedule among various other things. Nana was his counselor, and coincidentally the counselor to most of his friends too. She was a nice lady, incredibly caring as she handled her students. It was clear why she was so highly commended amongst the students, and nearly everyone seemed to love her.

"Hiro? What are you doing out here? Are you late?" She asked out loud as Hiro made his way up slowly, depositing his hands into his pockets. Well, to make matters worse, his hasty return to school had been caught. Rather than give an excuse, Hiro decided to just be honest, as the counselor that stood before him was deserving of such.

"Yeah, I guess I slept in a bit," Hiro offered her a sheepish smile, one that Nana returned with a sigh. She shook her head with disappointment, but she didn't berate him or anything.

"It's fine. Just come with me to the office so we can sign you in, then you'll be good to go," Nana said, beckoning him to follow. She opened the door, and Hiro followed behind, walking into the grandeur that was the interior of Mistilteinn. It held him in awe every time he came, always managing to be in perfect condition. The spectacular white seemed to glisten in the sun, and the rays of sunlight shone down upon them, offering a beautiful image.

Nana walked over to the left, where the office was mostly empty, exempt Dr Frank, who stood nonchalantly, leaning onto his black cane. It was the first time Hiro had seen the doctor since the first day of school, and an irate aura seemed to radiate off the doctor. Hiro averted his eyes as he walked in, keeping respectful distance as Nana excused herself to get the attendance officer.

"Late to school, son?" Dr Frank rumbled, his voice deep and gravelly as Hiro nearly jumped out of his skin. Hiro had never heard the old man speak, and to hear his hard voice was a surprise to him.

"Yessir, I'm late," Hiro awkwardly stated, unsure of how to address him. Dr Frank was magnitudes above him in status, so Hiro attempted to be as respectful as possible. Of course, in doing such he offered himself as a dumb fool incapable of talking, but perhaps such was required when being around people of such importance.

"Hmph. No good," Dr Frank simply stated, tapping his cane against the floor as if to express his disappointment. Hiro gulped, continuing to stare at the floor. Well, that wasn't good. Surely nothing bad could come of it, right? After all, it was just a late tardy. What's the worst that could happen?

However, Hiro couldn't help but picture the doctor quaking with evil laughs as he raised a bone saw in hand, Hiro latched to a lab table as he screamed endlessly. Scary.

"Name?" Dr Frank finally said after the silence nearly consumed the two of them, and Hiro eagerly answered, an attempt to shake off the awkward appearance that Hiro had placed onto himself.

"Hiro." A slight pause overtook his words, and Hiro realized perhaps that the doctor hadn't actually cared or anything, it was just a means to break the silence.

"Hiro Strell?" Dr Frank turned to look at him, and Hiro slightly yelped at the sudden attention.

"Yes sir. Hiro Strell," Hiro repeated. How did the doctor know his last name? Did Dr Frank know his parents or something? Another pause held the two of them in place, interrupted by the entrance of Nana and the attendance officer.

"Nana!" Dr Frank sharply said, and Nana immediately straightened, turning to the doctor.

"Yes, Dr Frank?" She queried, her face still.

"Get me this boy's medical history," The doctor demanded, pointing his cane towards one of the computers. Nana respectfully nodded, walking over to the computer and quickly typing. The old man seemed to think as he stood there, waiting impatiently for the counselor to return.

Hiro curiously glanced over at Dr Frank, who was tapping his cane against the floor. Why did Dr Frank want his medical history? What was with the sudden interest? Hiro discerned it must be something about his parents. Had Dr Frank known them? Even if he did, why did he want his medical records? This was certainly getting strange, but his interest was certainly piqued.

"Here you go, doctor," Nana said as she returned, handing him a stack of papers, which Dr Frank wildly flew through. Nana coughed uncomfortably, before turning to Hiro.

"Hiro? The attendance officer has you logged in, so you can get to class now," She told him, but Dr Frank abruptly stuck his hand out, silencing her.

"He stays. I want to ask him something," Dr Frank said, his eyes still glued to the papers. Hiro shot a questioning glance towards Nana, but the counselor just shrugged in response, clearly as clueless as Hiro. They both turned to the doctor, who was clearly deciding to leave them in the dark.

An uncomfortable silence held the two bystanders, and Nana coughed again, clearing her throat.

"Doctor, is this about your experiment?" Nana asked cautiously, her posture seeming wary as she spoke.

"And so what if it is?" Dr Frank dropped the papers as he looked up at the counselor, who flinched from his gaze. "Hiro, come."

He walked away to one of the many office rooms, his cane clacking against the ground loudly. Hiro stared after him uncertainly, looking questioningly at Nana. She simply nodded back to him, gesturing for him to follow.

So he did, following the estranged doctor to another room, a bit of excitement rising within him. It was clear that this was indeed for his experiment, but why he was chosen was still under question. Then came the fact that Dr Frank seemed familiar with his parents' last name. What exactly was transpiring here?

In the room, Dr Frank sat on a grand chair, grabbing papers from his desk. Hiro took a seat on the other end, unsure of his purpose in the room. He placed his hands calmly against his legs, and he waited for the doctor to speak.

"Sign all these," Dr Frank handed him a stack of papers along with an uncapped pen. Hiro hesitantly took it.

"Uhm, sir, is this about the experiment? What are these papers?" Hiro asked out loud as his eyes scanned the first paper, confusion eminent throughout him. Perhaps in the legal terms were an agreement of eternal slavery, leaving Hiro as a lab rat for the doctor till his imminent death.

"Don't worry about it. It's just agreements to follow along and health agreements and a bunch of mumble jumble. Just sign it so we can move on," The doctor sighed, his cane once again tapping against the ground.

Hiro decided to trust him, after all, he was a world-renowned doctor. If he wasn't able to trust him, who could he trust? Hiro signed them all, quickly returning them to Dr Frank, who placed them back into his desk.

Another pause overtook them, and Hiro found himself looking around the room. It was messy, with papers sprawled around in the strangest locations, a wide shelf placed at the back with copious amounts of books and other things.

"Okay, Hiro. Tell me, do you remember anything from your past at the age of 7?" Dr Frank asked, his eyes lazily finding their way to Hiro's. However, they were filled with a dangerous curiosity.

"What do you mean?" Hiro finally asked out loud, greatly confused from his question. Of course he remembered things from when he was 7, there's a whole year of memories there, right? And what was with the age requirement? And the question itself was strangely exact.

"Specifically, in the months of June and July," Dr Frank sighed, his voice emitting an irritated tone at Hiro's lack of answer. However, an inquisitive gleam was clear in his eyes, something that would be found on one much younger than the doctor was.

Hiro thought back, his mind racing as he attempted to remember. June and July? When he was seven? Why was Dr Frank even asking about that? But, strangely, Hiro could only draw a blank while thinking that far back. He could easily visualize his life before. He could visualize it after. But, June and July? His mind was just as confused as him, leaving him with no answer.

"Uhm, no, I can't. That's strange," Hiro commented, his hand moving through his black messy hair as he bit his lip uneasily. "Maybe my life was just really boring at the time."

"Hmm," Was all the doctor could say as he seemed to be thinking, before getting up. "Alright, that's good then. Let's move onto the next step."

Hiro simply nodded, feeling unable to deny his request. If the doctor thought he was special enough for his experiment, it must be under his civil duty to accept, right? He got up in tandem with the doctor, following his speed walk as they made their way to another room, this time with a much larger medical setup. With trays and tools everywhere, a large tilted bed made up the center, resembling that of a dental chair.

Dr Frank gestured for him to lay down atop it and Hiro obliged, laying down upon the cold leather. He laid uncomfortably while Dr Frank meandered around, gathering multitudes of different objects. Why did Dr Frank want him? It was for the selective experiment clearly, but he had only seemed interested in Hiro once he had learned his last name. It clearly had something to do with his parents, and Hiro felt an unbound energy begin to run through his veins. If it was about his parents, perhaps the doctor had information. Perhaps Dr Frank had the answers Hiro was looking for.

However, there was clearly something else going on as well. The abnormality of his inability to remember those two months when he was seven was clearly one. It was strange. Whenever he tried to think about it, his mind just returned blank, equally confused as him. It was like that period of his life just never existed. Of course, such was impossible. Hiro was still alive and well, meaning he must have been alive and well back then too.

So, the conclusion had to be that it was just way too long back. How could Hiro even remember that? He wanted to ask the doctor about these things but didn't want to interrupt his process. Hiro decided that he would ask afterwards, and hopefully Dr Frank had what he was looking for.

"I shall be administering a shot into your body, Hiro," The doctor began, and Hiro immediately wanted to get up in protest. A shot? "Don't worry, it's harmless. It's purely psychological, with no other side effects other than perhaps awakening those lost memories of yours."

"That's fine, I guess," Hiro finally answered uncertainly, conflicted. He _wanted_ to believe the doctor's statements about the safety. However, Hiro couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to this, and Dr Frank wasn't being entirely truthful when he spoke.

But he figured if he wanted his answers, he would have to loyally follow the doctor's orders. Plus, he doubted that Dr Frank would be able to freely run his experiments if it led to horrifying effects on his test subjects.

Dr Frank hummed while he wiped Hiro's forearm, wiping it with a gauze. Hiro looked at the doctor curiously, wondering what his experiment was really about. He had his doubts that the shot was only to track the progress of his medicine. And if it was, what was the medicine's purpose? And no side effects? What medicine had no side effects? He claimed it was to awaken his memories, but Hiro was still hesitant on the idea. Why would he have lost memories in the first place?

He suddenly winced as Dr Frank slapped his arm repeatedly, before quietly murmuring a "there it is" as he located the vein. Syringe in hand, Dr Frank placed the needle gently against Hiro's vein, and the slight pressure caused Hiro to tense nervously.

"Don't worry, son. It won't hurt a bit," Dr Frank gave him a reassuring grunt, and Hiro gave a nod, allowing the doctor to slide the needle in, Hiro watching cautiously.

…

Nothing. Dr Frank slid the needle out, wiping the tip as he looked at Hiro, curiosity clear within his eyes. Hiro felt around at his arm, but he felt entirely normal. Perhaps it would take a while for it to begin to work?

"You were right, sir, it didn't hurt at all," Hiro offered a smile, one that was largely ignored as Dr Frank continued to stand, as if waiting for something. An awkward minute passed as Hiro patiently sat, wondering what was to come next. Should he just get up and leave? Or was he to be excused? Was the doctor waiting for something to happen?

Silence held the two, and Hiro decided now was time to speak up. If he waited, he might lose his chance. He needed information, and he was certain that the doctor had exactly what he had been searching for.

"Doct-"

**FUCK!** Static was all Hiro could suddenly hear as his mind exploded, and he could feel every cell that made up his brain dissipate as pain surged through his body, sending Hiro collapsed to the dental chair. It was the same static that erupted throughout his body in the dream, except it seemed to have only grown in strength as it rippled away in him.

The pain alone was startling. He could barely think as the static began to fill his every thought, and he wasn't sure if that was the doctor who was repeatedly calling his name. It was only the damn static, and he tossed around, his feet curling. It was unbearable, and the tortuous stabs of pain only forced Hiro further towards the path of unconsciousness.

His back arched against it as he clutched his head, and Hiro found himself quickly losing conscious, the last thought in his brain being _"that son of a bitch lied"_.

* * *

"What are you even talking about, Ichigo?" A young voice asked, raising an eyebrow as he spoke, comfortably lying against a medical bed as the tv played noiselessly in the background. It was a show that Hiro had often watched as a child.

The voice had come from a boy, who currently laid in a hospital bed. The boy… it was Hiro. Except it wasn't him. It was a different Hiro, a younger one. Hiro paused as he took in the surroundings. It was… a hospital. A young version of himself laid in a bed, and Ichigo sat next to him, a book in her lap. They were both children, and Hiro looked around as he attempted to figure out exactly when this was.

"I… Never mind, Hiro. I'm just glad you're finally awake," The young Ichigo shot the young Hiro a happy smile, one that the childlike version of him reciprocated quickly. The real Hiro looked around again, uncertain of what exactly was going on. Why was he in his memories? What exactly was going on? Hadn't he just been with the doctor?

"Don't get all sappy, Ichigo! I was only out for… what? An hour?" The child had a happy-going smile stretched across his face, a black bruise clear against the side of his face. Bruise? Why was there a bruise?

"A month, Hiro. You were out for a month," Ichigo drily said, to young Hiro's mock astonishment. The boy raised a hand to his mouth, and Hiro would have done the same if he were able to. A month? Since when had Hiro been out for an entire month?

"A whole month! Wow, I'm surprised you didn't forget about me, honestly," The young jet-black haired boy teased, to Ichigo's sigh. "I wonder if Goro still remembers me, or Mitsuru! I bet he got in trouble again."

"Shut it! I was worried, you know. We all were," Ichigo murmured the last part, crossing her arms as she looked away with a "hmph".

"Yeah, I know, but I'm awake now. I don't even remember why I was out," The young boy said quite honestly, and his voice seemed to urge Ichigo to tell him. The real Hiro was curious too, and he awaited Ichigo's answer.

Ichigo just shrugged, looking away. She clearly knew why he was out, given her averted eyes, but didn't want to tell. Perhaps she just wasn't allowed to, but the lack of response seemed to annoy both Hiros.

Hiro would have furrowed his eyebrows in confusion had it not been that he just didn't exist, rather he was just a spectator. Invisible. This didn't ring a bell at all. When was he at a hospital? For a whole month too? Things just weren't adding up, and Hiro decided that perhaps this wasn't a memory, but just a strange fever dream from the shot that he had been given.

"Hiro? How are you holding up?" A voice called out, and Hiro felt his blood freeze. It was instant recognition. That voice… That warm, sweet, loving voice. Hiro wanted to burst out, cry, and hide all at the same time. A woman entered the room, clad in a simple black jacket and jeans. Her eyes had clear bags under them, and worry was what mostly held her blue orbs.

She was just as he remembered her. The way she talked, that loving tone always there as she spoke to Hiro. That spark in her eye, and the worry that he had gotten used to, always being quite the troublemaker despite his perfect record. The way she held herself, confident but quaint. Her black hair fell past her shoulders, always straightened despite its natural curliness.

There was no mistaking it. She was his mom.

He wanted to scream for her, to hug her, to just talk to her one last time. But he couldn't. He was stuck, unable to do anything. He could only watch.

"Yeah, I'm fine mom," The child answered, giving her a big proud grin. "I'm all better now, so no more worrying!"

His mom gave a happy chuckle at her child's enthusiasm, rubbing her eyes. "I'll try my best," She stroked her child's hand as she walked over to his bedside, and relief was obvious throughout her form. There was no mistaking it. Such vivid detail like this meant this must be a memory. He suddenly noticed another figure that made up the scene.

A man stood at the doorway, leaning against it. He was tall, black hair cut clean, with generic slacks and black tee on. Similar to his mother, he had obvious lines beneath his eyes, the green in them eminent with relief.

His dad looked the exact same as Hiro had last saw him. Still that stern figure, but behind that front was a loving father. One that Hiro excruciatingly missed. If Hiro could cry right now, he was certain he would be able to fuel an entire hydro plant for a decade. It had been so long since he had seen them, since he had heard them. Their voices, their everything. He missed them so God damn much, and to be unable to even touch them was agonizing.

The scene stopped suddenly, and Hiro watched uncertainly as everything froze. It was as if someone had hit the pause button, and Hiro wanted desperately to find that remote and resume it, in hopes of hearing his parents speak one more time.

Static. The static returned, bringing Hiro's mind back to disarray. Pain burned through him as he watched the scene before him begin to crack. The entire thing began to shake, and Hiro stepped forwards to save the image, to keep it with him forever. Wait. Step forward? Hiro looked down to see his body, his regular, own body. He had form again?

Immediately, he ran over to his mother, holding her cheek gently. It was soft, just like he had always remembered. Weeping, he grabbed her hand, his thumb rubbing gently against the top. This was real. It had to be. Each detail was so painstakingly exact, and Hiro's mind jumped to the assumption that maybe he had just died and this was heaven.

"M-mom? Are you there?" Hiro's voice cracked as he asked, his voice desperate for an answer. For a response. Instead, static. Her body split into disproportions before going back to normal, and Hiro could only watch as everything around him began to disappear. The black void, eating everything, just like the dream he had in the morning. It was devouring everything, its hunger insatiable as it continued forwards, and Hiro closed his eyes, bracing for impact.

Only this time, it spared him. Him, and his mother. He opened his eyes, finding them alone in a dimly lit area. Everywhere else was the black void, which was strangely calm, as if giving them the mercy of exchanging final words. She slowly turned to him, each movement a painstaking lurch for Hiro as he waited, when finally, she faced him, her body still misaligned.

"H…Hiro?" Her voice rang out perfectly, unlike what was currently happening to her form. Hiro grabbed her, holding her against him, his sobs wracking against his body.

"It's me mom. It's me," Hiro cried into her shoulder, and she slowly comforted him, her hand reaching to his shoulder.

"You've grown so much," His mom stroked his hair as they embraced, the loving act that she had always loved doing to him. They would sit before their fireplace, his eyes threatening to close as she ran her hands through his hair warmly.

"Hiro… Listen to me, love," She said, bringing him to face her, a stern look in her eyes. "I've taught you so much, haven't I? Your father and I have always loved you, and we still do."

Hiro could only nod fervently, his voice currently obstructed by the block in his throat. Of course he knew they loved him, he loved them too. Now and forever.

"We've tried protecting you for so long, but it's nearly time. You must be brave. Trust yourself. You'll learn things, and you'll question everything. But remember, your father and I did this for your good, okay? Please, remember that when it all happens," She spoke in a quick fashion, as if aware that they were on limited time, but to Hiro, her words were mostly nonsensical. Time for what? He couldn't process these things; he could only focus on her. He had to savor this, to be able to keep it with him forever.

"This last thing is the most important. You have to remember this, okay Hiro?" His mother grabbed him even harder, her eyes shining with urgency. Hiro finally nodded, ready. Instead, static exploded even harder than before, and Hiro flinched backwards, his hands reaching for his head in a desperate attempt to stop it from spreading, to shield himself from the ferocity of its attack.

…

White. Everything was white. Snow surrounded him, a blank wasteland. Hiro hesitantly got up, his heart dropping as he realized where he was. The static had left, and in its place was the large white oak.

Hiro blinked. Why was he back here? Why?

"Take me back! TAKE ME BACK!" Hiro screamed into the winter winds, which never responded. He had to listen to his mother, that one last thing. She had something important to tell him. She told him to listen, but then it all left. He was back to this God forsaken barren place, the very place that had been haunting his dreams for so long. It was as if it was making fun of him now, taking him from the one thing he had to listen to, the one thing he wanted back so badly. His mother.

He moved forwards, and this time the snow actually obliged, letting him pass. It all seemed to melt away in his fiery anger. He weaved through the snow, until he was at the base of the tree, able to touch it. His fingers stretched out, and his tips aggressively touched against the bark, tensing as he waited for something to happen.

It was strangely warm, given that they were in the cold. He could feel a pulse, a regular thumping that sounded out throughout. Almost like… a heartbeat. _Thump. Thump. Thump._

But it didn't do anything else. This forbidden action, being able to move, to finally touch the tree, had brought about nothing. He wanted to scream in frustration, and he grabbed his hair as he realized this was ultimately useless. It was teasing him, pulling him along for nothing. Absolutely. Fucking. Nothing.

Just when he was on the verge of something, answers, this place ripped him away from it again. So close, but still so far. He grit his teeth as he wished he could go back, back to his mother. Under her warm, loving embrace. Instead, he was left alone. All alone in the cold, with no parents. All alone.

Alone.

* * *

It was a large understatement to say Nana was panicked. In fact, to Dr Frank, it was more of a nuisance as she paced around, worry emitting off of her.

"I promise you, the child will be fine," Dr Frank grumbled for what seemed like the thousandth time. However, to say that he himself wasn't panicked was a lie. Hiro had been under for far too long. In fact, it had been five hours. But the feeling was suppressed by the interest in the situation. This had never happened before. Such a reaction was unheard of to him, and he could feel the scientific discovery unfolding itself bare in front of him.

Had it not been for the certainty that the teenager was still alive, Dr Frank might have been mauled alive by the counselor. But Hiro was alive, ascertained by his clearly beating heart and pulse. However, those seemed to be the only signs of life as the boy had been motionless for this time, just lying there.

"This isn't right, doctor. I'm sorry, but this isn't right. Why isn't he awake? I need to call an ambulance or something," Nana was rapidly firing out words at this point, and her voice was evidently anxious. Dr Frank raised his hand, stopping her. He needed to stall her, to keep authorities away from this incident. He had to maintain these conditions, to perfectly track the progress he was making.

"He will be fine. I will admit, this process seems to be taking much longer than usual, but you need not worry. The child will live," Dr Frank once again repeated, but even his belief was waning. Perhaps he had administered too large of a dose. Perhaps it was time for the hospital to get involved. But to do such was a great dishonor to his name, and his pride would never allow such a thing. No, Dr Frank was certain that Hiro would be dead before he called in others for help.

As if to lighten his worries, a sudden gasp got the attention of both Nana and Dr Frank, who immediately looked towards the dental bed. Hiro was up, sweat pouring off his forehead as he gasped, latching onto the nearest object for support as tears began to well up in his eyes, threatening release.

"Hiro? Hiro!" Nana ran over to her student, latching onto his arm. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Dr Frank had to grab the counselor to get her to move, and even then, she stuck in far too close vicinity for his liking as he began to examine the teenager, who's eyes bounced wildly from place to place. He was panicked. The boy's eyes were wildly glowing blue, as if taken hostage by a demon.

"Give me another one," Hiro's voice was rasp as he spoke, a dry cough coming out soon after. "Doctor, give me another shot."

Interest piqued, he jotted something down on his clipboard before deciding to answer the boy. Although it would certainly be fun to test another shot, he was certain the boy would find himself dead from it.

"No. That's enough for one day," Dr Frank placed a hand on Hiro's knee, looking directly into the eyes of the dismayed teenager. Now, it was time to track his progress. "What happened?"

The boy took a while to answer, first receiving a cup of water from Nana, and his hand wrung nervously around his wrist while he began to speak.

"I don't know. Everything suddenly hurt, and all I could hear was static. Then, I must have seen some memory of some sort. I was in a hospital bed, and one of my best friends was sitting with me, and we were talking. Apparently, I had been out for one month. But I don't even remember that. Then…" Hiro stopped, beginning to shake as his eyes began to nervously bounce around the room again. Dr Frank grabbed his hand, urging him to continue. So the shot had awoken memories. This was the first time it had done such a thing, having a prior 0% success rate.

"I saw my parents. I saw my parents, doctor. It's been so long, and I saw them. They spoke, and I could see them so well," Hiro was tearing up again, and his voice was trembling as his body began to quake. His voice quivered in desperation when he spoke again. "That's why I need another one. Give me another one, please."

"I can't, son," Dr Frank gently said this one, a tone he not often gave. Dr Frank was a scientist to the heart, and in such he found himself uncaring for his patients. But, this particular one, he felt his small heart open one channel to express even the smallest bit of pity. "Your parents… what did they say?"

"They were just talking to my young form. I could only watch; it was just a memory. Then the static came again, and everything turned black, except me and my mom. She spoke to me and said that she loved me and that she trained me well. Something is happening apparently, and I'll learn everything soon," Hiro was rambling now, his voice quickening as he continued to speak, and Nana grabbed his hand to slow him, to no avail. "Then she said she had one last thing to tell me, something really important. But then she disappeared, and I was back at that damned tree. That damned tree that's been in my thoughts for this past fucking week, haunting me. It took me away from my mom, just so I could just sit there and watch it again."

Hiro was breathing heavily, selfishly reaching for air as Nana and Dr Frank stood by, unable to respond. So much was said, so much that Dr Frank even found himself unable to process it all. A tree? What was all this? Perhaps there was much more to Hiro than even Dr Frank had previously thought.

"It'll be okay, Hiro," Nana finally said, an effort to comfort him as she warmly rubbed his knee with her hand. "It's over now."

"Indeed, it is," Dr Frank rumbled in reply, his hand finding itself scratching his chin as he thought. He gestured to the counselor, waving his hand at her. "Leave."

Nana opened her mouth to protest, but Dr Frank glared at her, and the young counselor swallowed before finally walking away, leaving only Hiro and the doctor in the room. It was quiet as the doctor's mind raced, wondering of the implications. Perhaps Hiro had been a special subject, and that's why he had taken such a wild reaction.

"Doctor, what did you do to me?" Hiro croaked, his sullen body slouched down, devoid of energy. It was a depressing sight, but Dr Frank had no time for those kinds of observations.

"I can't tell you the details right now," The doctor began, walking over to a nearby desk with his cane clacking against the floor. "What I _can _tell you is that your reaction is the first of its kind. All the other shots administered had largely no effect. However, for you, this is completely new."

Hiro didn't seem to respond, only just sit there as Dr Frank approached him with a clipboard in hand.

"Hiro, the reason I chose you is that in your medical history, it states you were in a coma for one month. July, when you were approximately seven," The doctor stated. "The reason is classified, even to your medical records. It must have been eventful, given that you seem to have no recollection of the time before or after it."

"A coma?" Hiro repeated, giving Dr Frank a blank stare. The doctor just nodded simply in return, affirming it.

"Yes, a coma. You may leave now, Hiro. I'm sorry it was such a stressful test for you, I didn't intend for it to be that way," The doctor softly spoke as he placed his hand neatly onto the teen's shoulder. "And I'm sorry. The world experienced a great loss with the death of your parents."

"You knew them?" Hiro perked up a bit as he turned to the doctor, his eyes clearly indicative of hope. The doctor paused, unsure of how to answer.

"Yes. I did know them," Dr Frank finally answered, his voice a definitive as he raised his hand. "Now, you may leave, Hiro."

"Wait, not yet," Hiro's voice was nearly begging as he spoke, bringing about another pause to the doctor, who turned to the teenager. "Please, I need help."

"I'm sorry son, but I can't help you as of right now," Dr Frank sighed impatiently. The boy had certainly brought about an interest in him due to his desperation, but it wasn't deemed important by the doctor. Thus, he would just dismiss it.

"It's about their deaths."

His ears perked, and the doctor couldn't control himself as he turned to the boy, alert. His parents' deaths, he says?

"What about it?" The doctor feigned disinterest, but Hiro's statement had certainly brought his notice.

"It doesn't make sense. Any of it. How they died, anything. Is there anything you know about it, anything at all. Please."

Of course the boy was questioning it. He was risen under Arya Strell, after all. He knew if the woman had been placed under the same situation as Hiro, the same reaction would have transpired. However, his fondness for the woman was not replicated for the boy, and he knew some things must be kept hidden. At least, for now.

"No, I don't know what you're intending at," Dr Frank responded flatly, before waving a hand off towards the teenager that stood before him, hope dwindling. "You have been dismissed."

The doctor could feel the conflict rise within the boy, but he eventually left with reluctant steps, leaving the doctor to himself. Once again, he felt pity rise within him as he considered the boy's situation. After all, he was on the right track. But perhaps for this time, it would be better to keep him in the dark. The boy was headed down a dangerous path and finding the truth would mean certain death. Papa would make sure of it.

**The Prince's Dream**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Once again, please inform me of any grammatical error in the writing. I try my best to proof read, but even then I can't catch every mistake. If you enjoyed, feel free to tell me! If there's something that's really bugging you about my writing, feel free to tell me!


	4. 04

**04**

**The glass walls cracked. It cracked, cracked, cracked.**

**But.**

**It didn't.**

**SHATTER**

_Thump._

Zero Two punched the hanging bag again, sweat pouring down her body as a fire raged in her, her fists releasing it all through its punches. Her fists were hammering the punching bag, and her eyes with tight slits of concentration.

_Thump._

Focus. One, two. One, two. Feet moving. Always moving. No pauses, no time to recover. Punch. Weave in, shoulder. Punch. Dodge, kick. Jump back, feet moving. Forward punch, feint left. Punch again.

_Thump._

Sweat. It was hot, steaming really. She could barely breathe in the heat, but she had to keep going. Another punch, another jump, another hit. Feet back, recover. Punch.

_Thump._

Keep on moving. Let her heart control everything. Don't listen to the mind. Follow instinct. She feinted right as she punched it again, shifting her feet. Instinct. Forget the mind. Only instinct. Punch.

_Thump._

"Iota."

_Thump._

"Iota."

_Thump._

"Iota."

_ Thump_

Zero Two finally turned, her body exhausted as she fell back against the wall, drops of sweat falling to the ground. She gave an annoyed glance at the boy who stood at her doorway, an amused smirk on his face.

"What do you want," She snarled, the very presence of the other figure irritating her to no end. He was rather short, having light blond hair accompanied with pale skin. He wore white jeans and a white shirt, and his form was deceptively small. His entire body was a deception really, because in reality, he was a ruthless murderer, capable of incapable feats.

"You've just been in here too long," Alpha smugly said, crossing his arms. The annoying smirk that was plastered across his face was large enough to warrant a punch, but Zero Two decided against it. "Papa was getting worried."

"Shut up," Zero Two sneered, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her palm. "When's the last time Papa's even thought about me?"

"Don't say that!" Alpha mockingly placed his hand over his heart. "He thinks about you every day. You are his _only_ daughter after all."

"Fuck off," She growled, getting angry. She needed to focus on punching. Hitting. Killing Klax. Not talking to annoying little shit stains like this one. She couldn't let her mind run like this.

"Alright," Alpha slowly said, raising his hands in the air as if to surrender. "But, I actually do have purpose coming here. Papa has a mission for you."

Zero Two waited impatiently, tapping her foot against the floor as the silence only extended.

"Well? Are you going to tell me?" Zero Two demanded, her eyes angrily turning to the boy, who gave her a smile in response. She knew he did it to get on her nerves, a nature that Alpha seemingly held only towards her.

"Well now that you asked," He said, that annoying smirk stretching across his face. "As you know, we have a very important weapons shipment incoming that must be protected at all costs. Of course, the Klax have found out, and we have reports of a planned ambush on our transport trucks. We have already diverted the danger and changed the date of transport and placed two dummy trails, along with air dropping the supplies instead."

Why was he taking so damn long to tell her what she needed to do? Just give directions, and she would do it. It wasn't that fucking hard. This smug ass bitch just loved to hear the sound of his own voice, that's what. Zero Two was all about ready to strangle the boy when he finally began to inform her of her mission.

"Papa wants you to find out exactly all they know and kill some Klax while you're at it," Alpha finally finished, before waving her off. "Try not to kill them all, though. You must leave some for us other Nines."

She just ignored him as the boy finally left her to her room. The room in question was quite large, a flat really. Papa spoiled her with it, in hopes of keeping her in line. It was scarcely decorated, just a large bed and various supplies. A punching bag hung from the ceiling, and she had her own bathroom. Of course, given that it was in a large warehouse, it was made mostly of stone, and the ugly dark color wasn't appealing at all.

But it was her own, one of the few things she had really. So she reluctantly cherished it, ignoring the fact that it had been given to her by Papa.

She made her way to her restroom, taking off all her clothes on her way as she turned on the water to its hottest setting.

She got in, reveling in the comfort as the heat splashed against her naked figure, washing the sweat off her. However, this was definitely not good for her either. The reason she had been vigorously attacking her punching bag had been to keep her mind from thinking. It was a successful effort, but when she got into the shower, all she could do was stand and wash.

Which gave her brain the perfect opportunity to think, which was never good. Of course, her mind immediately trailed to the boy that had been plaguing her thoughts for this past week. His black hair that fell messily atop his head, threatening to cover those beautiful icy blue eyes. Her darling.

Or, to be truthful, her fake darling. Her real darling was somewhere out there, and she was sure she would find him eventually. She had to, no matter what. It was her only motivation to stay alive, just for him. So the fact that she was with fake darling was a betrayal of the highest right in her mind.

It was strange, really, the frightening resemblances between the two. She had originally thought her fake darling was her real darling. Of course, if it was her real darling, then he would have remembered her. Then they could leave this shit hole and be happy together, forever.

But no, he hadn't remembered her. So, it wasn't her real darling, despite the striking similarities between the two. The hair wasn't a surprise, as it wasn't rare or anything. But it still captivated her, its messy black that was just an inch too long, but still perfect in her eyes. No, it was those beautiful blue orbs she could stare forever. That icy color that held her very existence, keeping her alive. The gentle way of his words that controlled the wild spirit in her. The care, despite the danger she brought with her. The unconditional love. That was what separated her real darling with everybody.

He was her very lifeline now, so she must remain loyal. That's why the very presence of fake darling was a complete betrayal. He wasn't her real darling, so she couldn't treat him as such.

But her mind found itself reminiscing back to that night exactly one week ago. That night, where she was on the rooftop, all alone. Always alone, she was. She was used to it, and she was ready to remain alone that night. But then he came, right next to her. And those sweet whispers that seemed to tug at her heart, so perfectly caring. She felt _normal_ for once, and the two had connected.

His warm, hot lips that so gently pushed onto hers, so perfectly moving in sync with her that she felt that she was melting into him. So tasty. So fucking tasty. She could feel the taste now as she licked her lips. God, his scent too. So powerful. So _alluring_. It was like it held her hostage, and those icy eyes that seemed to just understand her, to actually care-

No. Bad bad bad bad bad Zero Two. Don't think of fake darling, he was fake for a reason. No more thinking about him. Must stay loyal, loyal, loyal. Loyal Zero Two.

So she finished washing up, all while doing whatever it took to keep her fake darling off her mind. Her fake darling, with the delicious lips that she just wanted to taste one last time, just grab his innocent self so forcefully while she devoured his taste-

She scowled into the mirror, slapping herself. Keep her mind off him. Just think about killing. Klax killing. She enjoyed Klax killing. After all, Papa said when the Klax were all gone, she was free. She could go find her darling. So to do so, she must kill the Klax. Easy enough.

She grabbed a towel and dried her hair rigorously, leaving her restroom. She laid in her bed, naked, as she sighed in exhaustion. She enjoyed killing, but not always. She wanted to be normal. She wanted to go have fun, be a teenager, go to school. Instead, she was here, and she would never be normal.

But sometimes, she would dream of it. What it would be like to just be a teenage girl, thinking about school, boys, all that stuff. What kind of boys she would like, all the dates she would go on. All the kisses she would steal from those innocent lips of his, the perfectly soft flesh that moved just to perfectly against hers-

She got up, scowling again. She had been in this constant conflict for the past week, unable to do anything but try her best to not think. In doing such, she hadn't seen her fake darling for a week. She thought it would be good for her, to try and forget about him so she could stay with real darling. But it was like her body was an animal, and it _yearned_ for him, his touch, his warmth. His so hot lips that radiated the perfect amount of heat when it touches hers and-

She put on her clothes, slipping into a simple black and red plaid skirt and white shirt, loose jacket tied around her waist. It was a perfect guise really. Innocent, student-like. Attractive. Nobody would expect it. Long black socks that rode up to her thighs finished her look as she strapped her combat knife against her waist, hiding it perfectly. She grabbed the black handbag from her stand, gun inside, loaded.

She was ready.

* * *

"I promise, I have no clue about anything," The man pleaded with her as he lay slumped to the floor, his back against the alley wall. His friend laid in a bloody mess next to him, his throat slashed. Annoyingly, the corpse was still gushing with blood.

"Hmm. Really now?" She pondered out loud as she flipped her knife in hand, before jumping forwards and slamming it against his neck, pushing it in just far enough to nick it. Blood trickled down. "Are you sure?"

He stared at her, his eyes panicked, quaking. Zero Two didn't care. She would get the answer out of him, then kill him like his friend. They were just Klax after all.

"Really, there's nothing I know. I'm just a Conrad class grunt, that's all," He pleaded, and Zero Two sighed, nodding in understanding. Unfortunate. She slit his throat, and blood sprayed all throughout, even splashing onto her. She wiped it off quickly, getting up and walking out of the alley. She winced as she nearly fell, latching onto her leg as she balanced herself against the wall.

Stupid fucking Klax. Blood dripped down, staining her leggings as she cursed away those damned fools that had somehow gotten a slice onto her. She rubbed at it haphazardly, biting her tongue in annoyance as she limped away from the scene.

That was the fifth one today. Of course, she could just torture them in hopes that they might give away the answer. But that ruined the fun, plus, this meant more Klax dead. That was always good.

So she continued her hunt, stalking her way through the city as the evening sun watched. It was the slower part of town, meaning that she was mostly the only one walking around. Occasionally she would see others, but she didn't care for them unless they were Klax.

Her mind meandered aimlessly, similar to her body, and she suddenly found herself thinking about Papa, strangely enough. The mission he had given here was strangle unspecific, and she couldn't help but think he must have another reason for sending her out. Papa was like that. After all, she had known him since birth.

He was her father, though she wasn't certain if he was truly her birthfather. The way he treated her, it just seemed unreasonable for that to be so. Of course, Papa wasn't exactly a loving man, so she did admit that she would most likely be treated the same way if she actually was his daughter.

Their strained relationship led to a growing fester of hate towards the gang leader. It shouldn't be so, given that he treated her nicely enough. However, she hated it. The way he controlled everything, the way he thought he could keep her in line with simple gifts like a room.

Yet, even though she found herself yearning the day where she could finally be leave him, she couldn't yet find herself running away. At least, not yet. Papa had given her a promise, one that she was still hesitant to believe in. It was a promise from a while back, a desperate attempt to maintain her presence.

Kill all the Klax, and Zero Two was free. But not only that. Papa would show her where her darling was. Her real darling. Zero Two noted that the second part was most likely a lie, however the hope in her still existed. Papa was a powerful man. Perhaps he was aware of the boy's location?

So she stayed, eagerly killing all the Klax and dutifully doing his missions, all while hoping that one day, she could finally be reunited with her one and only.

Another surge of pain caused her to finally sit down, sliding down the wall as she clutched her leg. If she had just been more cautious, she would be fine, probably on her seventh kill. But the way her mind had been holding her this past week meant she was making mistakes. Fatal mistakes. Had it been gang members more experienced, she figured she might be in a much worse condition.

Another scowl stretched across her face as she looked through her bag, hoping for a bandage or wrap. Instead, she was left with nothing. Of course, her arrogance would eventually lead to this. Her belief in her expertise led her to never carry such things, and now that she actually needed it, she didn't have it.

She was stuck here now. She crossed her arms, annoyed. Since she was just lying there now, she began to think, which was never good. This time, her mind wandered to her fake darling, and his messy black hair and those hypnotizing blue eyes. What was he up to? She hadn't contacted him in a week, ever since their encounter outside the mall.

_'Maybe he forgot about her,_' Zero Two thought amusedly. Hopefully he did, so they could never meet again. However, her mind protested greatly to that, thinking back to what he had said.

_"I'm staying, so you better get used to me."_

_'If he was so determined on staying, then why hadn't he contacted her,'_ Zero Two thought crossly, but she already knew the answer. She hadn't really given him a real chance to contact her, given that she didn't even have his phone number or anything. So how would he know how to find her?

Well, if he _really_ wanted to stick around with her, he's going to have to show up for her. Nope. Zero Two wasn't going to him anymore, nope. That's traitorous. Such thought only enforced her position on the ground, other than the fact that her leg was wildly bleeding away.

People occasionally walked by, giving her strange looks, but she paid them no heed. She was used to those kinds of looks, all the way since her childhood. Pointing, laughing behind their hands, whispering. They acted like she couldn't hear, like she couldn't see. It was infuriating, but she learned how to deal with it.

Then the fear that the people showed, dear god. She wasn't sure if she hated it or loved it. They'd think so little of her, until she had them at knifepoint, on the verge of death. Then came the begging, the fear, the recognition of how scary she was. There wasn't any laughing anymore, no strange looks. Only fear. She _reveled_ in it.

Of course, it still annoyed her. The way they feared her like she was some kind of monster. But even Zero Two had to admit that she recognized herself as a monster. With the way she was, could a specimen such as herself even be considered human? Not until she was finally done with all this gang warfare would she finally be released, to try and be human.

That's what scared her, one of the few things that did. Could she even be human? Be normal? She had to, for her darling. She had to so she could be with him. Otherwise, she might as well continue her separation from him.

So even with her desperation for being normal, she was determined to stop any effort to become such. Because that meant weakness, and she couldn't afford that right now. She needed to be hard and steeled. She had to keep up her walls so she could kill the Klax. Then, finally, she would be offered salvation.

So when she heard the footsteps in front of her stop, and a figure stand in front of her, she became immensely irate. Who was this fucker to just look at her so closely, and now he was bending down. Fuck off, as if she needed help. She was always alone, and she was used to it. She was independent. She looked up, trying to fill her eyes with as negativity as possible, in hopes that such an aura would make the person dash away.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. She had to get away, but she couldn't. She was stuck there, watching helplessly as the person in front of her held her hostage, his icy eyes forcing her to be still.

"Are you okay?" Hiro asked, worry eminent in his voice as he looked at her leg, gently placing his hand against it. "Stupid question, you're clearly not."

Zero Two shot up, standing as her leg screamed in protest. She nearly fell over but balanced herself swiftly against the wall.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I'm fine," She repeated herself multiple times as she limped away, determined to lose him. However, due to the circumstances, Hiro quickly caught her, holding his hand against her shoulder as he steadied her.

His hand was warm. Really warm. Was that normal? Why was he so warm? Was she just really cold, or did he have a fever or something? Why was he so hot? This definitely wasn't healthy. No good if fake darling was sick, nope.

"Zero Two," His voice called out softly to her as his eyes examined down her body, and she could feel her nerves chill up, her synapses freezing over. "What happened?"

"It's nothing. Go away," She seethed, giving him a hard look before averting her eyes from him, unable to genuinely maintain anger towards him just for being worried. If she didn't look at him, he didn't exist. Yeah, that's right. If she couldn't see him, he wasn't really there. With that belief in mind, she tightly shut her eyes. No way would she open them, nope. She was strong. She was loyal. No more fake darling, only real darling.

"I'm serious. Tell me what happened," She heard him repeat again, but to her, he didn't exist anymore. Hiro? Who was that? Fake darling? Who was that? Nope, she had no clue. Just stand still, and he would have no idea she was even there.

A sudden cold feeling caused her to gasp, and she shot her eyes open as she nearly fell from the sensation. She looked down at Hiro, who was kneeling, a wet cloth in hand. An open water bottle was to his side, and she looked at him as he bit his lip, clearly concentrated in wiping her wound cleanly.

It was… cute. He was so undeniably cute like that, his little lip bite as he concentrated, the worry that was so bright in his blue eyes. The way he gently wiped her wound, and the little glances he shot upwards to her, as if to make sure such action was okay.

It was so fucking cute.

And it was so utterly _wrong_. This was the first time she was under someone else's care. Nobody ever cared for her, never cleaned her wounds for her. It was always her, always alone. She wiped her wounds, alone. She limped, alone. She did everything, alone. So why was fake darling here, thinking he could change up the formula?

He finally finished, blowing gently at the now clean cut as he put the cloth back in his bag, closing the water bottle before shooting Zero Two an uncertain glance, who held a clearly guarded look. Zero Two wasn't sure what to do really. Him even being here wasn't good for her, but the conflict within her found itself siding towards staying.

"Hey, Zero Two. Have you been avoiding me?" Hiro finally asked as the duo uneasily stood with each other, and Zero Two nearly found herself toppling to the floor as she recognized the obvious guard behind his eyes, as if to say _"It's okay if you have, I get it. I just would be hurt, that's all."_. He was so easy to read. He was so. God. Damn. Innocent. And she found herself loving every fucking second of it.

"Maybe. Why does it matter to you?" Zero Two asked as she gave him a look. If Hiro was going to try and stick around, Zero Two was determined to not make it easy, that was for sure. However, the sad glint in his eyes softened her stance, and she instinctively raised her hand affectionately to his cheek.

His eyes immediately warmed as she held her hand to his cheek, and she loved the way his cheeks reddened almost instantly, his eyes averting from her gaze. He seemed to mumble something, something that Zero Two couldn't hear. She urged him to repeat himself with a "hmm?", and his cheeks seemed to somehow blush even more as he spoke a bit louder.

"I… I just missed you, I guess," He spoke softly as he expressed himself, and his nervous glance towards her warmed Zero Two's heart. "B-b-but that's weird and all, I know. This is like, what, our third time meeting? Not that I'm counting or anything! No, definitely not. I don't know why I even said that to be hon-"

Zero Two shushed him, placing her finger against his lip, which was oh so soft against her. "I missed you too," She echoed him, giving him a smile, their gaze connecting for what seemed like an eternity. Looking at him, everything else seemed to fade away, leaving just him and her. Perhaps this was her real darling? He certainly acted the same, and there were so many things that they shared.

Even if he wasn't, was it so bad to stick around with him? Hiro was nearly identical to the boy she had met oh so long ago. If she just simply replaced him, would it be so bad?

Yes. It would be. She shot down the idea immediately. Maybe Hiro brought out a happiness in her she hadn't felt since that one special night, but that didn't mean he was her actual darling.

"A-Anyways," Hiro coughed as he spoke up again, turning his gaze away, an action that Zero Two hated as she yearned for those blue eyes to look at her own. "You're hurt. Here, my house is close, so I'll just carry you there, alright? I'll clean you up, and you can stay over for the night and stuff."

"You're inviting me over? For the night? You do know the implications of that, right?" Zero Two teased the boy endlessly as he only turned more crimson, and he shook his head vigorously.

"No, not like that! I had no intention, never!" He exclaimed, defending himself profusely to Zero Two's great amusement. "You're just hurt, so I'm offering you a place to rest for the night. I live alone, so you don't have to worry about anything. You can even have my bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

Zero Two loved the way the boy rambled in front of her, and she felt touched the way he worried about her. Still, there was no way she could stay over. She still was determined to stay away from him, in efforts to remain loyal. Though, her strength seemed to be waning the longer she stayed.

"It's fine. I'll be fine," Zero Two promised, dropping her hand back to the side. "I'll manage on my own. I've always been alone."

"Nope. Maybe before, but not anymore," Hiro confidently stated, turning his blue orbs back to her. "You're coming with me, no matter what you say."

"You think you can make me?" Zero Two challenged, amusement clear in her eyes as she raised an eyebrow, smirk stretched across her face. "Don't worry, really. I'll be fine, I've always managed on my own."

They remained like that for a bit, Zero Two determined to stand her ground. As much as she would like to accept the offer, she couldn't. Thus, there was no way she was leaving with him. Plus, he was just a simple high school student. Meaning she had already won this battle. Now, it was just a matter of patience.

She watched as emotions battled in Hiro's eyes, and it was so clear that he was obviously unsure of what to do. The boy began to bite his lip slightly as he contemplated, an action Zero Two appreciated greatly. He really was cute when he became concentrated like that.

His eyes finally settled on Zero Two's lips, much to her confusion. Was there something on her lips? Zero Two wanted desperately to grab a mirror and look, or even to just wipe them with her hand, but she was frozen. Those damned icy eyes, holding her still.

"Zero Two," Hiro slowly said her name, his voice deep, huskier. Was it always like that? Since when was his voice like that? That wasn't normal, right? What was he playing at? Zero Two could only watch as she saw Hiro slowly moved forwards, his eyes stuck on her lips.

"I really," Hiro continued, his voice excruciatingly slow as his movement followed his voice, and Zero Two still found herself unable to move. That voice just completely controlled her, and she was powerless against him.

"Really," Hiro was so close, and she could begin to feel his warmth. His eyes were so concentrated, and she found herself trembling before him. What exactly was he trying to pull here?

"Want," He was right against her now, his arm sneakily finding its way around her to her back. He was so warm, and she wanted to just melt into him. She was like pudding, swaying to his every move, his every word.

"To k-" His breath was right against her lips. He wanted a kiss? He was being so slow; it was killing Zero Two. She just wanted to smash herself against him, to feel those inviting lips move so gently against her own fiery ones. To just have him hold her as they kissed, to rip that innocence away from him, to-

"Carry you," Hiro finally finished, to Zero Two's relief. Wait. Carry her? She suddenly felt her feet being whipped from the ground as Hiro suddenly held her bridal style, removing her from the ground.

"E-Eh?!" Was all Zero Two could say as she was lifted, and Hiro gave her a confident grin, a cheeky one. She could feel her heart fluttering, threatening to fly away as she felt the blood rushing to her face. She had… lost? He began to move as Zero Two still tried to process everything, her face turning bloody crimson. Since when had her darling been so… so…. sexy?

Hiro was carrying her easily when she was finally able to speak, her words sputtering from her mouth.

"Y-Y-You tricked me!" She managed, her face flush as she looked up at the mischievous teen, who offered her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry. Were you looking for… Perhaps…" Hiro drawled out his words as he continued to carry her, and Zero Two found herself quite comfortable in his arms. "A kiss?"

Damn. When had he gotten so good? Zero Two was getting redder by the second. Since when was this allowed? She was supposed to tease him, to make him turn red. This was definitely illegal. Who allowed her darling to get so damn good at this?

"Hmph. Whatever. I'll just take one from you later," Zero Two said nonchalantly as she finally began to collect her own wits. Two can play at this game.

"Nuh uh. Not until we get you patched up right. Then, maybe I'll give you _one_ kiss," Hiro returned, and Zero Two found herself cuddling up against him as he continued to hold her. "Though, I will admit, I do love seeing your face red like that."

Impact. She blushed even more, and she cursed the day that she had ever met this fool. How was she losing to him? She thought she had him wrapped around her very fingers, the way he blushed every time she flirted with him. But now…

"Hmm," Was all Zero Two said as she lifted her finger against her darling's chest, twirling the tip around gently. He was stronger than he seemed, that was for sure. His heart was pulsing. Much faster than a normal rate. Much like hers. And his scent. God, it was so _strong_. She loved his smell. It was addicting.

"You know, Hiro," She started, purposely lowering her voice in a sultry way, raising her eyes to his innocently. "I never knew you were this… sexy."

Bang. Insta-kill. She could see the blood rise to his face as he sputtered, mumbling nonsense as he purposely looked away, seemingly concentrated on just walking. And just like that, she was back in the game. Another hand rose to trace his vein down his arm, and she was loving the way his muscles rippled at her contact.

"We're here," Hiro finally announced, gently settling her down with an apologetic smile. He held her as he rummaged for his keys, and Zero Two took the time to examine the exterior of his home.

He had said he lived alone, right? It was quite large, much larger than her flat at least. It had a very modern look to it, and had the homey feeling that her own living space was missing. Hiro unlocked the door and helped her in, where the sight surprised her.

It was clean. Very clean. Unlike her own, which was incredibly dirty. She never bothered to clean, as she didn't really care about her living space other than it being hers.

Hiro, on the other hand, seemed to care immensely as the house was spotless. A single step led to a depressed area with a couch and TV, fireplace dead below it. Farther out was a kitchen, modern countertops and cabinets making it up. A set of black half-steps made up his staircase, and his bike laid right against the door, along with a bin full of various things.

It was very nice. Much nicer than her place. Hiro led her to the couch, where he gently sat her, making sure she was completely comfortable before leaving, stating he would be back soon.

She sunk into the couch as she examined the area, very impressed. _"I could get used to this"_ She mused, admiring the setting. It was perfect. She especially loved this little sunken area, with the couch and table, accompanied with a large TV and fireplace. It was perfect to cuddle, and she could imagine herself with her darling, laying on the couch, their hot bodies right on top of each other as she claimed those delicious lips for herself, marking her claim.

"I'm back," Hiro announced, waking Zero Two to reality. He had a bandage wrap in hand along with a gauze, and he sat down next to her. He began to unwrap the gauze as Zero Two watched him, in love with the way he gently did everything.

Slowly wrapping it around her wound, he began to bite his lip slightly again, and Zero Two just wanted to smash herself against those soft bits of flesh that were really just so utterly perfect. Instead, she had to control the flaming beast inside of her that wanted to rampage all over this poor boy.

Ensuring it was tied, he got the bandage wrap after, making sure to tighten it enough to where it would heal, but also to make sure she was comfortable. After finishing with a small pat of reassurance, he got up, and Zero Two shot him an appreciative smile.

He was being so perfect right now, it was blowing Zero Two's mind. He was so caring, so nice, so gentle, so cute, so hot, so everything. It was all qualities that her inner beast devoured, yearning for more. She just wanted to grab his hand and pull him back to her. But a small part in the back of her mind protested. He was also not her real darling.

"Are you hungry or anything? I can order something if you want," Hiro asked, and Zero Two pondered on the question. While yes, she was hungry, it wasn't really for food. Instead it was for the fucking delicious taste of those lips, fuck she wanted them. She was sure just one taste of those things would be able to keep her sustained for her entire lifetime.

"Yeah, just get me whatever, darling," Zero Two finally answered, taking some time to control herself. Zero Two had to be normal. Plus, what was she doing, calling this fake her actual darling? It was her fake darling, not her real darling. Speaking of, was it even okay for her to be here? It was traitorous, right?

But her heart spoke differently. It certainly was okay to be here. She wanted to be here. Plus, the way he smelled, tasted, the way he spoke, his personality. There was no way this wasn't her real darling.

And there she was, back at her original dilemma. She nearly growled out loud as she shook her head, attempting to clear it. It was really getting to her, and it was starting to hurt really, and she just wanted to figure out what to do and she was getting angrier and it was-

"Hey," She heard Hiro speak, and the thoughts erupting in her mind immediately were silenced by his charming voice. "Do you have a phone?"

"Yeah, why?" She asked, already knowing the answer. She just wanted to hear him say it.

"Oh, it's just… Well… I wanted your phone number, so I could contact you easier," The boy admitted, moving his hand through his hair nervously. "B-but, if you don't want it, that's fine too, you know, it's just-"

The sound of her giggling interrupted the boy, and Zero Two loved the warm smile that landed onto his lips.

"Of course, dar-ling~," She drew the last word out as she took out her phone, quickly scrolling to create a new contact. First name: Darling. Put some little heart emojis, and… perfect. She handed him her phone, ready to see his reaction.

His face flushed as he read the contact name, an accusatory glance passing over to her, which Zero Two happily returned with a wide smile. He quickly punched numbers in before passing the phone back, which she ecstatically took, before he pulled his own phone out, passing it over to her.

It was a new contact, blank. Boring. She tapped onto the first name, wondering what she should call herself. She decided to go easy on the boy, who was still flushed, and typed in Darling, this time only with a single heart emoji. She tapped the numbers in, hit save, and returned Hiro's phone.

"So, Zero Two," Hiro began after placing his phone down, and the girl in question turned to look at him. "Want to tell me what actually happened now?"

She paused. After all Hiro had done for her, perhaps he should be given the liberty of knowing what happened. But… She didn't want to scare him away. He did promise he would stick around, but still, Zero Two wasn't sure how truthful that promise was.

"I told you, I kill people. It was one of those times," Her tone was nonchalant as she spoke, however her eyes cautiously watched Hiro, waiting for his reaction. He remained blank, and his eyes looked towards hers, an unrecognizable emotion in them.

She hated this, the way he looked at her like that. This is why she didn't want to tell him, because he wouldn't know what to say. He was scared, and Zero Two realized that the fear she brought in people was no longer something she enjoyed. She hated it. It made her feel inhuman… it made her feel-

"Why'd you kill them?" His voice interrupted her thoughts, and his hand reached out cautiously to touch her, landing in her hair. His touch nearly made her flinch, his fingers gently moving between her strands of hair. She blinked as she realized she had been unknowingly curling up, and his hand guided her down, ending in his lap, where Zero Two looked up at her darling. His blue eyes were warm, and Zero Two, once again, found herself getting lost in it, amongst other things, like the warmness of his lap.

"It was my mission," She found herself murmuring as she shifted in his lap, sinking deeper into him. A serious tone had enveloped the duo's conversation, yet the affectionate handling that Hiro was giving her brought the severity of it down.

"Did you want to kill them?" The question rang out in the air, cautiously, as if testing the waters. Zero Two didn't know. She did on the technicality that killing would lead to her freedom. But she knew that wasn't what Hiro was asking.

"I guess. It's not like they were good people," She muttered, leaning into Hiro's hands which was slowly moving throughout her hair, playing with the strands. It wasn't the best answer, but she truly didn't care for the people she was killing. They were just Klax, after all.

"Would you have killed them if you weren't ordered to?" Hiro threw out another question, one that floated in the air until Zero Two grabbed it, deciding to answer.

"No. I wouldn't have," She finally responded, having thought about it for a bit. "But it's not like I can't do it. I was ordered to."

"Do you hate your gang life?" Another question, accompanied by his curious blue eyes staring down on her. Well, if she were to compare her normal life to what was going on right now, definitely. She could lay here forever, his hands lovingly rubbing her head, an action she didn't know she found so endearing until now.

"Yeah. I do," Her tone was blunt as she spoke, a clear expression of truth. "But there's nothing I can do about it, can I?"

"That's not true. You could always run away with me."

Silence ensued following that statement, and Zero Two paused. She stared up at her darling, who clearly was staring straight forwards in an effort to avoid her eyes.

"You're joking, right?" She asked, disrupting the silence. He shook his head no, and Zero Two softly smiled at the boy before him. "I couldn't do that, especially to you. You have school and-"

"I don't care about school," His voice rang out louder than hers, interrupting her. All she could do was blink as the boy continued. "School doesn't mean anything to me. I'm telling you, we could run away together. I can make it happen, really. Just trust me."

Zero Two sat up, forcing the two to connect eyes. Behind those beautiful hues of blue was a passion, but she could tell it wasn't all about her. There was another reason for his sudden outburst, and she wasn't content just watching it happen.

"Hey," Zero Two said lightly, grabbing his attention as she placed her hand against his chest. "Is something wrong?"

She wanted to comfort him, a foreign feeling to her. She didn't know how. She wasn't good at interacting with other people, but her stomach told her that she needed to comfort him. So she tried her best at it, as she maintained eye contact, trying to send him every ounce of positivity within her. His mouth opened slightly, seemingly hesitant, and Zero Two grabbed his hand, urging him to answer.

"I said I lived alone, right?" Hiro finally croaked, his voice cracking slightly. She enthusiastically nodded, trying to urge him further. "It's because three years ago, my parents died. In a car accident."

Silence. Zero Two didn't know what to do, so she moved her hand to his cheek, letting her warmth spread to him. Perhaps the feeling that Zero Two felt anytime darling touched her was felt both ways.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry," She whispered, her voice carried along by caring tones. However, Hiro shook his head.

"No, it's not that. I've… gotten over the deaths," He said, but the way his voice shook clearly indicated that the opposite was true. "It's the fact that it _was _a car accident. My parents left that day on a walk. Our one and only car was still in our garage. The report said there were only three people involved, my parents and the other driver. Why were my parents in a car that wasn't theirs?"

Zero Two paused as he rambled, his body trembling. She could see his eyes getting colder, and strangely it was like he was getting colder too, the warmth being sapped away. She leaned into him, taking her arms to hug him, placing her chin right on top of his shoulder, leaving their cheeks to rub.

"I'm sorry, darling. I'm sorry," She whispered against his neck, hoping her warm words might liven him up as she rubbed his back gently.

"That's not all," Hiro finally said, his voice sounding tired. "My father's corpse was missing too. All these questions, but no answers. It's been three years, and nothing. There's something about their deaths, but I just don't know and school certainly isn't helping me figure out."

She lifted her head off of him, looking directly into his eyes. She placed her hands atop his shoulders, and she slowly leaned forward, leaning here forehead atop his. It was an intimate action to her, one only done by her real darling. She had never done it to anyone else, but it felt natural to do so here.

"Hey, I get it now. You want answers. But running away with me won't help you any either," She softly said as their faces laid inches away, so close to contact. "But I will tell you this. We can look for answers, together. I'm here now, okay? So we'll figure this out, _together_."

His breaths were hot and sporadic, and his eyes expressed gratitude, shining.

"Thanks, Zero Two," His voice still shook, but much less than before. "You're right. I won't run away, not yet. But we'll get you out of your situation too, okay? I'm here too, so we'll solve _both_ of our problems, _together_."

She offered him a light laugh as she pushed her forehead against his, and she moved her arms to wrap loosely around his neck as she adjusted herself to sit right atop his lap.

"You know, I think I might just like you a lot, dar-ling~," Her voice was sultry, inviting. She figured a change of topic was needed, and she jumped to the one that seemed obvious. Her words whispered right against his lips, and she knew exactly what she was doing with it.

"Hmm, is that so?" His voice matched hers, and she found herself leaning in ever so slightly, so ready to finally reclaim that lost kiss from before. "Because it seems that I might just like you a lot too."

It was a wide-open invitation that Zero Two happily received. His tantalizing lips urged her forwards, and she drew herself in, his hot breaths directly brushing against her rose-pink lips. The beast inside her raged for contact, but she steadied herself, making it agonizingly slow. Hiro's eyes were glued onto her lips, attention that Zero Two craved for. She was so close, their lips began to brush, tingles exploded throughout her, his warm soft flesh so deliciously wanting hers-

The doorbell rang. And with that, the tension, the drive between them shattered as Hiro moved away, his eyes looking anywhere but at her as he immediately flushed, coughing.

"A-hem. The food's here," Hiro murmured as he set Zero Two down, an action which she heavily disagreed with. A scowl stretched across her face as she murmured curses at the delivery boy. Whoever he was, she would make sure his corpse was sprawled right across the door mat of his parents so they could know the horrid creature that they had made. If she weren't injured, that door would already be ripped open, just like that deliverer's heart.

Her darling returned with the pizza boxes, setting them on the countertop before returning to the sofa, where Zero Two still remained, scowling.

He gave her a lopsided smile before extending his hand out to her. "Hungry?"

She hesitated before taking his hand, reluctantly nodding as she let him lift her up. She would make sure to get that kiss, sooner or later. Which meant that she would have to stick around for a while. Maybe she'd stick around for two kisses. _Maybe_ even three. But she found herself happy, much happier than she had been in a long long time. So perhaps it wasn't so bad, hanging out with fake darling.

For once, all the conflict within her seemed to stop, and a resounding agreement was made. She would find her real darling, she would make sure of it. But, for now, it was okay to hang out with fake darling. Just for now though.

**The Prince Reveals Himself**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks to those that left reviews, I appreciate every word you guys left. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it so far. If you find any errors within my work, please let me know so I can fix it! Otherwise, expect another update soon!


	5. 05

**05**

**To guard the gates of hell. It was its job. Its existence.**

**But how would life be, doing something else?**

**Being…**

**FREE**

Ichigo would call herself a prideful girl. She was always doing everything to excellence. No matter the job, she would make sure anything she did was to the upmost perfection. She strived for greatness. It's why she immediately signed up for any clubs that screamed magnificence. Student council, NHS, volunteer groups. Anything that would decorate her life beautifully.

That's why, staring at the imperfect garbage that was laid out before her, she sighed in frustration. Irritation pulsed throughout her body, and she felt the sudden immature feeling to kick her legs and wail like a child.

_"Okay, chill out Ichigo,"_ She thought to herself, taking a few deep breaths. Once calm, she took another look over her work. It was a poster, adorned with various pictures of Hiro and the group. At the top left, a group picture that was taken approximately four years ago, in a park. Hiro sat in the middle, a wide grin stretched across his face while the rest of the group, consisting of Ichigo, Goro, Zorome, Miku, Futoshi, and Kokoro, posed, a nice photo.

The remaining photos bordered the poster, similar to the one she described, the only difference being they were individual pictures, meaning it was just Hiro and one other person. In the middle, a large message, calligraphic. It said "We love you Hiro!" and was outlined with comments from all of their friends.

It was nice. It was sentimental.

It was…

Imperfect. Ichigo found herself kicking her bed as she couldn't quite realize what was wrong with the gift. It had everything really. It was a remembrance to the past, and it would hopefully make the young teen happy. She wanted to do something nice for the boy, thus the creation of the poster.

She stared at all the pictures again, reminiscing to the times they were taken. She could remember each one, and all of them contained a very happy Hiro. The way his eyes lit up with joy, and he stretched his smile far wider than his mouth could possibly support. The adventurous glint in his electric eyes. The photos all screamed happiness, and Ichigo smiled fondly at them.

They were also all taken three or more years ago.

Ever since the accident which left Hiro an orphan, photos like these weren't replicable. He was still happy, don't get her wrong. But… it wasn't the same. The spark in his eyes disappeared, and it was like his happiness was almost forced. He would trudge around place to place, and it was like the group broke apart.

Nearly daily events together began to become weekly events, to monthly. Hiro would stop coming to some of them, stating he was busy. School became one of the only connections they could keep with him. They tried to get him to come to things with them, and on the rare occasions he did, it was like he was basically invisible.

That didn't stop Ichigo. She would still show up to his house, along with Goro, desperate to maintain his happiness. They would barge in and make their presence known. Once their middle school lives came to a close, they desperately made sure that Hiro would get into Mistilteinn.

The process of getting him in was the most lively she had seen him in a long time. He actually seemed astute, and a shred of his past seemed to come back to life. Since their high school lives began, he seemed to finally put his past behind him, and their time at the mall was a brief but cherished moment for her. But still, it was a far cry from his former self.

That's why she made this for him. A desperate attempt to bring her Hiro back, the one that the group knew and loved. But, deep down, she knew it wouldn't work. He needed something else. Something that the group couldn't provide. She knew he had other thoughts on his mind, and she painfully remembered the moment at the funeral.

It had only been three years ago that Hiro had been leading their class, easily acing every test with the respect of all their teachers. The way he talked. The way he led the entire class, each person eagerly listening, yearning to catch his attention. She was one of them.

Ichigo had greatly aspired to be like him. She studied hard, she did everything he did. At one point, she gave a try at following his exact schedule. But it never worked. He always beat her with just his inherent talent. He was pure genius, and his excellence brought the attention of all that knew him.

Then the accident happened.

She remembered it like it happened yesterday. She had been calmly studying in her room when her parents had collected her. It had been late, just about 8 PM. They told her something had happened and had taken her to the hospital.

She had been worried the entire ride, cautiously wondering who got hurt. Was it her grandmother? Hopefully not, as Ichigo was close with her. Maybe it was her uncle?

Never in a thousand years would she have been ready for the image that awaited her. She had entered the white room. She had been reveling at the cleanness of the hospital, a pristine place that she had always found herself wanting to work at. To be a doctor was prestigious, and perhaps if she were to accomplish such a feat, she might be able to match Hiro.

The doors opened as they entered the waiting lobby on the fifth floor, the emergency room. That scene was scarred in her mind, and she felt her very being drop to the ground.

Hiro was sitting down, slouched at one of the hospital chairs. Dried tears etched onto his face, and he looked dead. His eyes, his normally so electric blue, sparkling eyes. They were dimmed, like they were out of life. He was just dull, sitting there, not even noticing them. His hair loomed darkly down on his face, and Ichigo gasped.

Ichigo had run over while the adults talked to themselves. She grabbed his hand, tried to talk to him. Nothing. The boy didn't even acknowledge her. He just stared at the ground, like a lifeless doll. She shook him, anything to get him to look at her. Pain filled her body was she watched her friend just sit before her, unable to do anything.

"Hiro? Hiro? Please, Hiro, talk to me," She had desperately cried. No response.

The day finally ended with her parents taking her weeping self home, telling her it would be fine, that Hiro would be fine. She had initially refused, wanting to stay with the boy that she had so greatly looked up to. But they took her back, where she lied in bed for hours, that image etched onto her mind as she kept repeating Hiro would be fine. He would be.

Of course, that was a lie.

The day of the funeral came, and everyone was in attendance, somberly remembering the two adults. Eric Strell and Arya Strell. They were great people, and Ichigo remembered how nice they were, always having pleasant smiles. They got along with all the adults, and they seemed like perfect parents for Hiro. The former was an accomplished businessman, the latter a prestigious scientist. Their excellence in their fields was a large reason why she had believed Hiro had been so amazing.

However, when she thinks about that day, it is rarely for the remembrance of those two. Instead, it was for Hiro. He had been sitting in the front row, the same lifeless form she had seen at the hospital. When he had risen to pay his respects, the first to do so, he hadn't even cried. He just went up, then returned to his seat, his eyes a dull, dark blue. Adults talked among themselves, whispering about how sad it all was, how the lively boy was a shell of his former self.

She had sought him after the funeral, finding him sitting in a lone corner. She approached him, and nearly flinched as he looked up to her. He had actually acknowledged her. His eyes were still a dull color, empty. Devoid.

"Hiro, I'm so sorry," She had sobbed, grabbing him into a tight hug. He didn't respond, and she finally let him go, looking at the young boy she had looked up to for her entire life so far.

His eyes had suddenly come to life, a sight that had surprised her. But not with the usual liveliness, the usual sparks of joy that had marked his personality. No, it had come to life in a much darker way. Passion was eminent in those blue orbs as if he had been possessed, and his voice shook with intent as she spoke.

"It's okay, Ichigo," She remembered the way he spoke to this day, his voice dark, far too dark for someone of his age. It scared her at the time, as she watched the boy speak, his voice eminent with intent. "It'll be fine because they're still alive. It doesn't make sense, any of it. They never left in their car, and my dad's corpse was never found. No, they're still alive Ichigo, I assure you."

Ichigo could only stare at the young boy as he came to life, uncertain of what he was trying to get at. Alive? Was this a form of coping?

"Hiro…?" She had whispered, and the boy's eyes only seemed to grow.

"Yes, I'm certain of it. They're alive. I'll find them, I'll find out the answers. No, they're definitely not dead," He was ranting now, and his eyes seemed to be looking into nothing. His words were scaring her. She didn't know what he was trying to mean, none of what he was saying made sense. "I'm going to find them."

"Shut up, Hiro!" She had shouted at the young boy, crying as she said it. She wanted to drone out his disturbing words, and she snapped at the boy, an action she dreadfully regretted to this day. "They're dead, okay! I miss them too, Hiro! I miss them too. But they're dead. You have to accept it, okay? We both have to accept it."

She hugged him against her, hoping he understood. Instead, the boy seemed to remain lifeless in her arms. When she finally let go, his eyes were back to being lifeless, and his hands hung limply to his side. She felt instant remorse, but she was unable to speak again, transfixed by the look he was giving her.

"I see. That's how it is, Ichigo," He had said, his voice devoid of anything. He stood up, dusting his arms as he walked away from her, making one final remark. "I'm sorry, Ichigo."

But She had seen it as clear as day. The one emotion that had been left in those dark eyes of his, the one emotion that broke her. Betrayal. His words were spark full of it, and she turned to him.

She hadn't been strong enough at the time. She wanted to reach back out to him, to comfort him. But she couldn't. She was too weak. And she let him go.

She was sure she wouldn't make the same mistake now. She scowled as she remembered what had happened, shaking her head. No, Ichigo wasn't weak anymore. She was sure that if the time came again, she would be able to rectify her mistake. To show Hiro that she cared for him.

That's why she was making this. She wanted to show Hiro that she cared, that everyone cared. But the poster was just wrong somehow. Sighing once again in frustration, she got out her phone, texting Goro.

**Goro? Can you come over soon? I need help with the gift. There's something wrong with it, but I don't know what. It's really annoying me. -Ichigo**

Almost instantly her phone dinged as a response came through.

**Yeah, I'll come over soon. -Goro**

She smiled at her phone. Goro was always reliable. He was always there for her, and she really appreciated his presence. Plus, he cared equally as much for Hiro as her. He had been her main assistance in the creation of the poster, but clearly, they had done something wrong.

"Ichigo? Are you ready for dinner?" A warm voice called out for her, and Ichigo smiled fondly as she responded to her mother.

"Yes mother, I'll be down in a moment," She responded, before pausing. Goro would be here soon, right? "Wait! I invited Goro over to help me, and I think he'll be here soon. Could you ready a plate for him?"

"Gladly!" She heard her mother answer, and Ichigo scrambled out of her seat and left her room, heading downstairs.

* * *

"So, Goro," Ichigo's mother began as utensils clanked against plates, a quiet but homey ambience for their dinner. "How's school been?"

"It's been great ma'am," Goro respectfully answered to the laugh of her mother. He held an appreciative look on his face, and Ichigo knew that the teen was a big fan of her mother's cooking.

"Oh, please Goro. You know to call me Shelly," Ichigo's mother gave him a friendly smile, and Goro shook his head.

"Nonsense, ma'am," Goro gave her a cheeky smile as she laughed again, and Ichigo found herself twirling her food with her fork. The dinner was good, don't get her wrong. Ichigo's mother was an excellent cook. But her mind was stuck on other things. The memory of the funeral was stark in her head due to her sudden flashback, and it greatly disturbed her appetite.

"How's Hiro been?" Shelly asked, her voice a bit more serious now as she changed the topic. "Is he… better?"

Goro turned his eyes towards her, an uncertainty in them. Ichigo looked back, and she paused as she considered the question. He was certainly better than he had been previously, but…

"He's… better," Ichigo tactfully answered, still playing with her food as she spoke. "But he's still not the same."

"Speaking of Hiro," Ichigo's father began, coughing to clear his throat before continuing. "Hayato told me that he had seen Hiro with a girl outside his house."

"Kiri!" Shelly shushed her husband, shooting daggers at him. However, it was too late as Ichigo and Goro both perked up to the information. A girl? Hiro, with a girl? Just the word of it caused an unknown tightness to form around her chest as she opened her mouth to interrogate her father.

"A girl? What do you mean?" Ichigo demanded, her fork clattering to the table as she found herself suddenly interested. Kiri just shot his wife an apologetic look as he continued.

"Well, Hayato was on his way to work this morning when he saw Hiro outside his house, accompanied by a girl. Yeigh high, pink hair, supposedly plenty cute according to Hayato," Ichigo's father said, using his hands to gesture his words as he spoke and a smug smile entered his lips as he continued. "He claims they even kissed."

**Bang. **Her chair clattered to the ground as Ichigo shot up, an unknown feeling possessing her as she marched to the door, anger filling every cell of her body. That damn boy, Hiro. She would have his corpse.

"Ichigo honey, wait! Don't go!" Shelly cried out, hurrying out of her chair as well, trying to make her way to her daughter.

"I'll be back. I just have to visit Hiro," Ichigo said calmly, but her voice was clear with irritation and a dangerous undertone. She immediately left the house, leaving Goro and her parents in the house.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she's safe and we get something to eat," Goro apologized as he interrupted the brief silence that had taken over, bowing to the two adults. "Thank you for the dinner."

Goro quickly exited after the blue-haired teenager, leaving just Shelly and Kiri. Shelly turned to her husband, her eyes glowing in a furious fashion as she stared down the man.

"Kiri," Shelly growled, her voice dangerously low. "Why did you tell them? I thought we agreed not to tell them?"

"Well, I felt she deserved to know," Kiri shrugged, turning his gaze away from her. "Plus, maybe now she'll finally do something about that crush she's had on him."

* * *

"Ichigo," Goro found himself saying her name for the near thousandth time as they made their way to Hiro's house. It wasn't a long walk, only about 12 minutes, but Ichigo's speed walking would probably make it in 5. "Hey, Ichigo, slow down!"

"I can't," Ichigo stated, her voice heavy as she continued her march. "How could he?! That stupid little… Here we all are, spending these last three years worrying about him for so long, trying to make sure he's okay, and he's out here with girls?!"

Goro paused, and he admitted Ichigo had a point. But still, he had to calm her down, before she said some ugly things she wasn't trying to. After all, Hiro wasn't exactly in the best state either.

"Yeah, you're right Ichigo, but calm down. You don't know the whole story, right? Let's figure it out first, then react," Goro cautiously said, placing a hand atop the short girl's shoulder. She simply nodded, as if accepting his request, and Goro let out a relieved sigh.

However, the boiling blood that ran through Ichigo's body seemed to protest to such agreement, and her eyes only saw red as she angrily thought of her best friend. How could he? Her heart hurt, for reasons Ichigo wasn't even sure about.

A short walk led them outside Hiro's house. They both stopped, unsure of how to continue. Ichigo shot Goro an uncertain look, as if the fiery emotions that had driven her here were finally stopping to think. Goro just gave her a gesture to walk up and ring the doorbell, which the girl obliged.

Walking up the steps, Ichigo wasn't sure what to do anymore. She had been readying a whole speech, ready to burn Hiro to the ground with her words of fury. But now that she was outside, her entire plan fell to pieces, burning away. She didn't want to hurt the boy, but she felt betrayed. She had to confront him.

Her finger pressed the button, ringing the doorbell. She waited patiently, though internally she was ready to press the button again. Such was disrespectful though, and sure enough, the door eventually opened.

Hiro stood before her, his jet-black hair wet, drops of water still dripping. A towel hung from his neck, and he wore a simply white tee and black shorts. However, the sight of that wasn't what caught her eye. His blue eyes were shining, electrifying. The image nearly caused Ichigo to flinch, and she took a moment to drink it in.

The way he stood there, happiness so clearly reflecting from his eyes. It was startling. She hadn't seen his eyes like that in… well, forever. At least, since the accident happened. It made her chest tighten in weird ways, and she felt her heartbeat begin to uncontrollably accelerate. Why was he like that? What had happened?

"Ichigo? Goro?" Hiro called their names questioningly, giving both uncertain glances, before straightening up and gesturing them in. "Come in, come in. Don't just stand out there."

Ichigo walked in slowly to Hiro's home, and it was of its usual stature. Everything looked the same as it had been the last time she had been here. Still, her eyes scanned suspiciously around, looking for any discrepancy that caught her eye.

"So, what's up?" She heard Hiro ask Goro, and Ichigo whipped around, stomping over to the black-haired boy until she was right in front of him. She shot him an accusatory glare as she spoke.

"You want to know what's up? We heard you had a girl over," Her voice was hard as she spoke, but gradually softened as she noticed the look in his eyes. Why did he look so… happy? What was going on? It seemed to completely cool her anger, no matter how desperately she tried to maintain it.

An uncomfortable silence ensued between them as Hiro seemed to hesitate, his hand running through his messy wet hair.

"Yeah, I did," Hiro cautiously stated, and Ichigo felt her heart drop. So, it was true. A burning sensation filled her throat, and she felt small, unsure of what to do anymore. "But not like that… She's a friend and she was hurt, so I let her stay the night so she could rest."

Even with his explanation, she could feel her blood boiling in her veins, and it was like she had just been put in an oven. It was definitely getting hotter, and she could feel herself getting closer and closer to exploding. So a girl stayed the night at Hiro's? What had they done? What if… what if… they had…

"Who's the girl?" Goro asked, as if noticing the state that Ichigo was reaching. He quickly spoke, an attempt to continue the conversation before the inevitable occurred.

"It's a girl I met about last week," Hiro began, a statement that only added fuel to the fire. Last week?! And she was spending time over here?! Ichigo was so close to bursting, she could feel herself physically trembling. Boy, was Hiro about to get his ass completely kicked. "She calls herself Zero Two."

And just like that, it was like someone flicked the switch. Her blood froze, and her body with it. It was as if time froze for Ichigo as she stood there, unable to move, to even think. That name. Zero Two. She knew that name. It was the forbidden name.

* * *

Hiro sat idly on the couch, his fingers gently atop his lips as he waited, the sounds of a shower running making up the background. Zero Two was the one showering, and she had ferociously fought to bring him in there with her, to his vehement denial. After some teasing and physical contact, which may or may not have caused Hiro to turn crimson red, she eventually gave in and showered on her own, leaving him on his lonesome.

Hiro kept mindlessly feeling his lips, his mind wandering back to the moment on the couch, when her lips had come so agonizingly close to his, only to be interrupted by the delivery boy. His mind was eternally grateful for the boy's arrival, claiming that such interaction between him and Zero Two was definitely not approved. After all, it had only been their third meeting together.

His heart, on the other hand, was screaming for a different result. It had taken all the willpower in his body to prevent himself from not tipping the deliverer, which was what his heart had attempted to drive him to. And it still tried to take control, and even his mind seemed to give in a little as the thought of those tantalizing rose colored lips took over in every cell of his brain. The way their lips had brushed ever so gently, the way her green eyes were full of so much emotion as they were moments away from connecting.

With blood rapidly rising to his face, Hiro decided to take a deep breath to cool himself. She wasn't even his girlfriend or anything and he was thinking about her like this. She was just a friend, Hiro. Just a friend. He conveniently decided to ignore the words they had both spoken, the ones where they stated _might_ just like each other. A lot.

Still, her presence had invigorated a sudden new energy within Hiro, something he hadn't felt in ages. It powered through him, giving him new life. It was why he had suddenly expressed his thoughts to her, things he had kept secret for so long. His need for answers, for closure. For something. Anything.

His emotions had never felt so clear to him. They were vibrant, and even the colors around the room seemed to glow just a bit brighter as he continued to think. It must be because of Zero Two, Hiro decided.

Still, it was strange for him to open up to someone like that. The only other time he had expressed his real thoughts towards his parents' death was to… Ichigo. And she hadn't taken it well. He had decided then that he was alone in this world now, and it was up to him to find it out. Independent.

Of course, this was all before he had met Zero Two. It was like she had flipped his entire world upside down, and now he was filled with purpose. Not only for himself. For her. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought about her situation, the way she was in a gang. Killing people.

But the way she was around him didn't indicate any of that. She was sweet, nice, flirting, fun. She cared for him, a sentiment he greatly appreciated. That's why he was determined to get her out of the gang. How, he wasn't sure yet. But it would happen, that was sure.

His silent brooding paused, however, when Hiro realized that there was no sound. The shower had stopped. When had it stopped? Suddenly, hands pulled at his chin and pulled his head sharply back, where he found himself face to face with Zero Two. Her long locks of pink hair were wet, and her green eyes glittered with positive tones as she stared down at him, a grin showcasing her canines.

Hiro found his eyes trailing down, looking at the clothes she was wearing. His mind thought back to the apology Hiro had said when he gave Zero Two his clothes, which she dismissed with a _"Don't worry about it. Plus, if you had girls' clothes hanging around, I'd beat the shit out of you."_. So, he had given her one of his shirts and shorts, to at least clothe her while she stayed around his house.

But he never knew it would look so _hot _on her. Perhaps it was the fact that it was his clothes on her body that was making him nearly drool, but he found himself unable to break his stare, the clothes hanging loosely. They were of similar height, so the shirt wasn't too large on her, but it was still baggier on her than him. The black shorts he had given here hung loosely down, barely attached to her hip as if she had purposely lowered it, and he swore he could see a bit of her underwear break through.

"I can't tell if you're turning red because of your position or because of me," Zero Two laughed as she said it, a playful smile dancing across her lips as Hiro suddenly became aware of the situation, where he whipped his head back forwards with a loud cough.

"It was the position," Hiro flatly lied as he kept his eyes glued to the wall, using breathing techniques to calm his red face. Zero Two hopped over the couch, landing next to him as she stretched out her limbs, shaking her head roughly to rid herself of the water in her hair.

"Mmhmm, I'm sure," Zero Two's voice was teasing as she spoke, and she curled up cutely next to the boy, resting her head lightly against his shoulder.

"Hey, Zero Two," Hiro began after a brief comfortable silence, and the girl in question raised her eyes innocently to his. "About your gang, -"

"Don't worry about it," Zero Two yawned as she spoke, an adorable action that Hiro found intensely cute, as she gave him a reassuring smile. "Plus… I can't leave, at least not yet. I have some… things I have to do."

Hiro raised an eyebrow, prompting her to explain further. However, the look she gave him indicated that the topic was over.

"Well, alright," Hiro sighed as he accepted her answer, deciding he would have to ask her at a later date. They had already shared a lot, perhaps too much for one night. "Anyways, it's getting late. You should probably get to bed."

"I'm content right here," Zero Two snuggled closer into Hiro's shoulder. It took everything within the boy to control himself as he considered the prospect, eventually shaking his head no.

"Sorry Zero Two, but you're my guest. I can't have you sleeping here," Hiro decidedly said, before getting off the couch, much to the girl's dismay. He lowered himself in front of her, offering his back. "Here, I'll even give you a piggyback ride up."

"Well, who can deny such a generous offer," Hiro heard the girl giggle behind her as her legs looped between his arms. Her hands lazily wrapped around his neck, and she felt her chin sit atop his. "Go, my steed!"

Hiro heeded her words as he stood, gently shifting to allow her legs to sink further in before walking his way to the stairs. She seemed to be examining his house as her head whipped from place to place.

"Hey, darling, where's all your photos?" The girl asked, and he could feel her curious green eyes burning through his head despite the fact he couldn't actually see them.

"I don't have any. I put them all away once my parents died," Hiro answered honestly, reaching the top of the stairs.

"Oh," Was all the girl atop him could say, and Hiro instantly regretted saying it so flatly, given her reaction. "It's okay. I just wanted to see if you had any baby pictures or anything."

"Nope. Definitely not," Hiro cringed his nose as they entered his room. He winced at the school uniform that had been left on the floor instead of being hung up properly. He had changed into a more comfortable outfit once Zero Two had entered the shower, and in his haste, he had forgotten to clean up properly. "Sorry for the mess."

"Pfft. The mess? Your room is so clean!" Zero Two hopped off Hiro's back, looking around in amazement. His room was minimalistic, mostly white with a lean black desk accompanied by a large dresser. His bed made the center piece, blue blankets atop his white pillows and mattress. "At least, a lot cleaner than mine."

Hiro just offered a shrug as he went over to his bed, straightening it a bit as he pulled his blankets down.

"You sleep here tonight," Hiro told her as he grabbed her hand, leading her to his bed. She sat on it, bouncing atop it before sending him a satisfied smile as she patted the area next to her.

"Sorry, no can do, Zero Two," Hiro gave her a sheepish smile as she scowled, her eyes narrowing. Her green eyes seemed to challenge his will, but he was determined to stand his ground, and the duo stared adamantly at each other until she finally broke the silence.

"Fine, but…" She slowed her words as she stood back up, latching her arms to his neck as she closed the distance between them, putting them chest to chest. He could feel his face heating up as she drew in closer, her vivid orbs deceivingly innocent as Hiro tingled at the way her breath brushed against his skin.

She was going to kiss him! He could only watch as the girl sauntered closer and closer, her intent clear as her lips came closer and closer, and Hiro just wanted to close the distance right then and there, but he was a prisoner under those caging eyes of hers.

Instead, Hiro yelped in surprise as she licked his cheek, savoring the taste on her lips before laughing and falling back onto the bed, leaving Hiro a blushing mess.

"What did you expect? Were you looking for…" Zero Two teased, giving him a carefree smile as she quoted his words from earlier that day on the street. "Perhaps… a kiss?"

Hiro had to stand his ground in some way. He couldn't let her control him like this. He was… was… an independent male! He was strong. So, Hiro took a deep breath, giving her a strong shake of his head.

"Nope, I wasn't," He stated, his voice cracking slightly. He winced. Nice one, Hiro. "Anyways, goodnight, Zero Two."

"Goodnight darling," He heard the girl say back, her tone indicating a clear genuine happiness. "And… thanks. For everything."

He just turned back, looking at her lying comfortably curled up in his blankets. His chest began to tighten, and he loved the way she looked right there, sprawled lazily against his bed, giving the boy an agonizingly cute smile.

"No, thank you, Zero Two," He flicked the switch, turning the lights off as he walked away, heading downstairs.

Zero Two had left earlier once they had woken up. He remembered the sight of her, sitting in the kitchen slathering honey over anything that was edible. They had conversed for a while, and many a red faces, mostly from Hiro, were made as they teased each other. She eventually left, painstakingly close to another kiss at their front door before she once again licked him instead, laughing as she took off, promising that he would finally receive one on their next meeting.

Hiro spent the rest of the day lazily, mostly taking the time to recollect himself after all he had done with the feisty girl. With the way they talked and messed around, he had to admit he did indeed have certain romantic feelings towards her, and she must have some towards him as well. However, the insecurities poked and prodded at him, and he wondered whether she was just like this naturally with everyone.

To get his mind off things, he eventually took to the internet to research gang activity in the area, but the search only left him as clueless as before. All he could find was something called Project Apus that had taken place but was disrupted by gang activity. However, no names or any details were given, leaving him empty.

He decided to research up on gang activity in general, wondering what the ins and outs of gangs were like. The way she wasn't completely covered up with brands and tattoos reassured him that perhaps this was one of the less excessive ones. However, with such little knowledge towards Zero Two and her own gang, he felt the research was ultimately useless.

After a bit more loitering around the house, he had decided he would take a shower. He took a long one, finally leaving the restroom. It was only minutes after he had finished that the doorbell rang. He opened the door, and to his surprise, there stood Ichigo and Goro.

They both seemed to be as surprised as he was to see them, which was strange given that they had come over to his house.

"Ichigo? Goro?" Hiro called their names out questioningly, before remembering his manners. "Come in, come in. Don't just stand out there."

They entered his home slowly, once again confusing him. Why were they there, and why were they acting so strangely? They weren't even saying anything, and Ichigo seemed to be completely washed over. Awkward silence befell the trio before Hiro coughed to clear his throat.

"So what's up?" Hiro asked uncomfortably, leaning against his house wall. His words seemed spur some reaction in Ichigo as the short-haired girl immediately spun around, marching over to him and placing her finger accusingly against his chest.

"You want to know what's up? We heard you had a girl over," She was clearly angry, and a guarded look held her eyes as Hiro froze. How did they know? He shot an uncertain glance at Goro, who seemed to be on the same side as Ichigo. Hiro decided to relent, given that they were his closest friends after all. Plus, it's not like he had anything to hide.

"Yeah, I did," Hiro began cautiously, running his hand through his hair as he paused before continuing, watching the reaction in his two friends. "But not like that… She's a friend and she was hurt, so I let her stay the night so she could rest."

It was the truth, technically. She was a friend and she had been hurt. Perhaps he skipped out on a few details, but they didn't need to know that. However, his carefully chosen words seemed to still incite a reaction within the duo, and he swore he could see steam begin to rise out of Ichigo's ears.

"Who's the girl?" Goro asked Hiro, clearly noticing the way Ichigo reacted. He too seemed uncertain, and he also held a guarded wall behind his eyes.

"It's a girl I met about last week," Hiro was quick to respond to Goro, nervously glancing at Ichigo as she only seemed to heat up further. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting up like that? "She calls herself Zero Two."

The air was unbearably thick as the two boys stood around, anxiously waiting for what would come out of the blue-haired girl who stood strangely still. Hiro swore he could hear the clock ticking in his head as he awaited what was to come, his body tense, ready.

"I see," Her calm voice surprised Hiro, and she seemed eerily still as she spoke, a stark contrast to the way she was before. "Well, that's fine, Hiro."

Hiro and Goro exchanged worried looks, unsure of what was going on. Goro seemed especially confused, and his mouth opened, as if to say something, then closed.

"Ichigo? Is something wrong?" Hiro began to ask, raising his hand slowly to the blue-haired girl's shoulder.

"Yeah," She was completely rigid, and her eyes were a cool green, hidden of any emotion. "We were just worried that something had happened to you. We'll be leaving now."

With her statement she walked towards the door, gesturing towards Goro to follow. The teenager nodded rapidly, his lips pursed.

"At least stay for dinner?" Hiro asked, catching up to her as they went to the entrance, wanting his friends to linger around for longer.

"Sorry, I can't. My mother has dinner ready at home," She stopped at the door, turning to Hiro with a sincere glint reflecting a happy tone. "It's nice seeing you this happy, Hiro."

Hiro could all but blink as he stood there, watching his two close friends exit, Goro exchanging a forgiving smile to him on his way out.

What was that all about? He wasn't sure why Ichigo and Goro had come in the first place, though he supposed that if he had heard Ichigo had a boy over Hiro didn't know about he would be curious. But their reactions were strange, especially on their way in. And a certain blowout that seemed inevitable in Ichigo was instead a calm comment and an abrupt departure.

What a strange encounter.

* * *

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" Goro repeated as he trailed past the rapid girl. Her erratic walking and head tilt indicated that she seemed to be deep in thought. He finally grabbed her, stopping her as he held onto her shoulders. "Tell me."

Her green eyes quivered before the blond-haired teenager, and Goro was once again left uncertain of how to proceed. Sadness was eminent in her eyes, something that seemed to bring a strange emotion in his heart, but also a glint of fear. She bit her lip as if to think, and her voice shook as she spoke, full of uncertainty.

"Goro… I know that name, Zero Two. It was the one thing he asked me to remember. It was also the one thing they told me to never tell him."

**The Prince's Knights Enter**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, because I sure enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all the kind words that have been sent my way, I appreciate every single one of them! As usual, please let me know if you find anything in the chapter you don't like, ranging from a simple grammatical error to an issue with my storytelling. I love reading all of your reviews, so thank you to those that have submitted them.


	6. 06

**Trigger Warning **

**(See Author's Note attached at bottom)**

* * *

**06**

**The manifestation of evil wasn't hard to find. **

**In the mirror, any mirror. Humanity.**

**All the sins, all the evils, all the pains all the envies all the betrayal all the **

**JEALOUSY**

Mitsuru's arms trembled as he steadied himself, taking deep breaths as he narrowed his dark green eyes. He was tired, his concentration slipping easily. Had it been any other day, Mitsuru would have been fine, easily being able to handle himself.

**BANG!**

The shot missed, skidding right next to the shoulder of the target. Bad aim. Unusual for him, and he cursed himself as he once again tried to steady his mind, tightening his grip on the gun as he adjusted. If it weren't for that damned argument, he wouldn't be shaking so much. He went to the gun range in an attempt to clear his mind, but it only seemed to distort it further.

**BANG!**

Another miss, this one right underneath the arm as Mitsuru nearly threw his gun in frustration. Steady. Deep breaths. Hold the gun, use the arm as the balance. Steady. Keep your eyes forward, press forwards. Steady. Shoot.

**BANG!**

_"Mitsuru, please. Just give me another chance, please, son," _

**BANG!**

Mitsuru wanted to drone out the pathetic voice of his father, gritting his teeth in rage as he recalled the earlier conversation. Another chance? After all he had done? What a disgusting piece of trash.

**BANG!**

How weak could someone be, acting like that in front of his own son. Begging, on the floor, crying. It was weak. It was pathetic. It brought this abhorrent bile in his throat as he pictured his father like that, and Mitsuru's hands clenched further onto the pistol. How could his father even _think_ he could act that way after all he had done?

**BANG!**

It was a vile rage that had consumed the brown-haired boy, and Mitsuru finally let out a selfish gasp for air as he fell back against the wall, quaking as he slowly slid down. He flicked the safety on and left it, devouring the air in front of him.

Pangs of emotion rang out throughout his body, and he felt part of his mind protest against his horrid treatment towards his father. However, another reveled in it, glad that Mitsuru was finally strong enough to do such a thing, to finally give his father the treatment he so deserved.

It hadn't always been like this. Mitsuru grimaced as he thought back to the memories that had permanently seared themselves into his brain. But the past was the past, and Mitsuru had to accept the present now. He exited the gun range swiftly, unable to stop the trembling of his hands.

Golden rays loomed over Mitsuru as he left to the outside, where the evening sun was raised, held back by the cool clouds of the autumn weather. It was a Sunday, and people pleasantly chattered about, families holding their children softly and couples walking lovingly, the very presence of one another being all they cared about.

This only served to dampen Mitsuru's already bad mood, and he bit his tongue aggressively as he walked, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his windbreaker. His eyes twitched at all the happiness that surrounded him. Any other day, and he would have been fine, just casually walking and ignoring it.

But not today. So he scowled as he walked, purposefully radiating a moody aura in an attempt to express his distaste for what was going on as he made his way… somewhere. He wasn't sure where he could go right now. Certainly not home. But there wasn't anywhere else he _could_ go. But to see his pitiful father would only add fuel to his rage, and despite all the hatred he harbored for the adult, Mitsuru didn't want to blow up on him.

Mindlessly he wandered, losing himself in his own thoughts as his feet took control, following his instinctual path. The streets gradually became less crowded, the evening sun settling deeper and deeper into the sky. The bloom of an orange sky spread lengthily across the heavens, and Mitsuru paused as he found himself in front of a familiar building. It was broad, containing many annexes as a broad field of grass lay next to it.

The Garden, or at least that was the colloquial term for the school. It was a large building containing both elementary and junior high students. Memories flooded through him, ones that Mitsuru hastily rejected as he turned, attempting to leave the school behind him. Why had he walked all the way over here? The sight of the school brought forth a foul sentiment in the boy, and he clenched his fists as his mind walked further down memory lane. Specifically, to one person.

Hiro. Mitsuru recalled briefly seeing the teenage boy just about last week at the mall, and their awkward interaction pasted itself across his mind. It was really a childhood grudge that had made their relationship so strained, but Mitsuru couldn't find himself putting it away. Perhaps the hatred for Hiro was childish, but it still hurt to think about, no matter how much he tried to dismiss it.

To be a hero. It was a simple childhood dream, one that many would claim for themselves. To have superpowers and be the savior of humanity, to be able to fly endlessly and be the most special specimen on the planet. Plenty of kids dreamed of it, dressing up as Superman and Spider-Man, desperate to be special. However, for Mitsuru, it was different.

Everyone could be a hero in their own right. Heroism wasn't tied to extreme acts that surpass the human body. It wasn't as if Mitsuru wanted to fly, or to be invisible, or have any other superpower. In fact, what he wanted was fairly normal on the humanistic scale of capabilities. He wanted strength.

To fight, to be able to stand up for himself. To not just be the child that was tossed around at home upon his father's drunken rage, to not hide in his room crying as he clutched his ears to hide himself from his mother's wails of pain and suffering, to be able to not hide in his closet every time his father came home, to be able to-

Of course, it never happened. Rather, Mitsuru found his dreams being shut down by the one he looked up to so much, the one that inspired him to fight back, to struggle against all the restrictions that had been set upon him. He still remembered the childlike way Hiro had spoken to him, dismissing him easily.

_"A hero? Pfft," Hiro spoke, giving Mitsuru a laugh as he continued. "That's lame. Why do you want to be a hero?"_

It was a simple question. But it broke his entire world, leaving it shattered on the floor as his entire dream collapsed within itself. How could Hiro forget? Mitsuru had told him earlier, before his long absence, why he had wanted to be one. But the child had forgotten, breaking Mitsuru's small heart. Once again, Mitsuru admitted it was a childish reason to maintain his hate towards the teenager. But to him, there was no going back.

It just hurt, coming from Hiro specifically. At the time, Hiro was everything Mitsuru strived to be. He wanted to be exactly like the boy. He even distinctly remembered believing that if he was like Hiro, perhaps his father would love him. Maybe he would even stop hitting Mitsuru.

Such was just childish ideals though. In reality, nothing could stop the rage-imbued monster that his father was except, it seemed, his mother's death. It was a startling shock for both Mitsuru and his father, and a sharp turn in their daily lives.

One might think that his father would turn even worse, choosing to target Mitsuru even further. However, that was not the case. His father seemed to just completely shut down, and the sound of his weeping echoed throughout the house for about a year. Eventually, they slowly began to interact, and Mitsuru cautiously stood by, waiting for him to explode, waiting for the beating.

It never came. Instead, in an ironic twist of fate, his father wanted to reconcile with Mitsuru, to put their past behind them and live a new life, one without the putrid acts of abuse.

Mitsuru refused. After all his father had done, he could never forgive him. Thus, the past year of his life had been a strange reversal of roles, with Mitsuru harshly ignoring his father's cries for sympathy.

The city was quieting down, and he found himself walking in mostly silence, with small blurbs of nature making up the ambience. Finally away from all the city life, Mitsuru paused as he looked around, unsure of where he was. It seemed to be in the more abandoned part of the area, one he remembered was largely filled with construction sites and such in his early childhood.

However, something happened, and it all went away, leaving it a desolate part of the city, usually left undisturbed. Mitsuru recalled his father saying something about this area, claiming it was dangerous to roam around in. But when did Mitsuru ever listen to his father?

Rebellion boiled in his blood as he decided he would go against his father words and explore these parts, despite the part of his mind that protested against such danger.

So he walked, entering half-finished buildings filled with rubble. The atmosphere was horrid, giving off this old abandoned feeling. He found half-used pipes and other shards of glass, sometimes even clothes. Cigarettes dirtied the floor, and the litter everywhere was unbearable. Still, the sense of adventure pushed him onwards throughout the various barren buildings.

A particular structure caught his eye. This was one of the few edifices with completed walls, made to be a plastic warehouse-like structure. Walking up to it, he realized the building looked much cleaner on the outside than those he had visited so far. Mitsuru pressed against the door cautiously, but it refused to budge. Annoyed, the teen eventually resolved to push the door with his shoulder. He slammed against it, and slight movement made him aware that he was making progress.

One last push slammed the door open and Mitsuru stumbled through, metallic creaking echoing throughout the building as darkness surrounded him. He coughed, dust flying through the air at his sudden movement as he grabbed his phone, quickly turning his flashlight on. Light flashed on, and Mitsuru winced at the sudden illumination.

Now things were getting interesting. It seemed to be an abandoned storehouse of sorts, mostly empty with various large crates lying around. Metallic beams held up the ceiling, and he slowly moved around, stopping once he realized his foot had stepped on something sharp.

Mitsuru looked to the ground, picking up the trash he had stepped on. A bullet shell. His eyes shot to the floor, and he realized bullet shells were scattered around, making up a large portion of the ground.

Every fiber of his being screamed danger, telling him to turn back. However, the defiant spirit that had risen within him refused, and he continued forwards, clutching his phone as he slightly trembled. He approached one of the crates, dusting it off.

It was locked with a metal hatch, and Mitsuru decided now wasn't the time to try and open it, as his shoulder whined at his previous physical venture. Instead, he looked at the labelling on the side of the crate, filled with architectural jargon that he wasn't familiar with. However, a large title was stamped onto the top right.

"Project Apus?" Mitsuru whispered out loud, unsure of what it was. The name rang familiar in his head, but he wasn't able to discern where he had heard it. He looked to his phone, ready to search it up before glancing at the top left of his device. No signal. Damn.

He propped himself back up as he turned his flashlight around in circles, slowly trekking around the building. More crates, some empty tables, chairs with broken legs.

_Thud._

His phone clattered to the ground as he nearly screamed, scrambling onto the ground as he picked up his device, his hand shaking wildly. Was that… a dead body? His hand felt heavy as he took a deep breath, moving his phone's flashlight back to where it had shined before.

A dead body was sprawled in the air, spiked to the floor by a pole that burst through his chest. Cockroaches scattered as the sudden light hit them, and the corpse's decayed flesh was a startling image for the teen. It was a man, his mouth gaping open with dried blood etched across his face. Stabs littered his corpse as Mitsuru continued to stare, frozen, fear flooding him.

It looked recent. Which meant…

Mitsuru had to get out of here.

Chest rapidly rising and falling, Mitsuru dashed for the exit, all means of stealth left behind as he went for the light, his body tensing as he got closer and closer.

He was so close! The door was right there, and he could nearly reach out to touch it!

The sunset's gaze was a relieving sight as Mitsuru dashed back to the outside world, however such relief was not enough to stop his panic. He kept running, his feet on a mad sprint for safety as he raced through the maze-like streets of the area, his eyes wildly whipping for any signs of danger.

The sun was officially leaving the sky to the moon as Mitsuru finally stopped, selfishly intaking air as he leaned his hand against a building. He wasn't sure exactly where he was, given that his hysterical state of mind had an obvious lack of navigational function. But given the darkened tone of the area, he figured he wasn't out of danger yet.

Just one moment, then he would return to his desperate escape. Just a few more breaths. His throat yearned for water, but such valuables were unavailable. His feet ached, but Mitsuru knew the circumstances. He had to get moving.

"Hey, kid."

A voice. Mitsuru froze, fear overtaking his veins as every nerve in his body snapped, overcome with icy slabs of frost.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," The voice spoke again, a bit gruff with a hint of a laugh. With a gulp, the teenager in question finally turned.

He was on the scrawnier side, shorter than Mitsuru. The man wore dark leggings that sagged, a loose blue jacket hanging off his shoulders. Blue lines scrawled across his face, a tattoo with no real resemblance towards anything. His brown eyes blazed towards his, a fiery energy within them.

"I don't think I've seen you around these parts," The man said as he walked up to Mitsuru, his eyes scanning him up and down as he approached. Mitsuru wanted to take steps back, but his feet were glued to the floor, unwilling to do his bidding. "What's your name?"

He wasn't safe. He was shaking, his mind distorted as he barely even understood what the man had asked him. He felt his hand being drawn to his backpack, a warm force pulling it there. His fingers etched towards his holstered gun, one that he carried ever since he had gotten his training. It wasn't illegal, Mitsuru had earned his right to bear his arm, at least in this state.

But he hadn't ever used it in an actual situation. He swallowed as he slowly unzipped his backpack, keeping his hand hidden as he reached inside.

"I asked you for your name," The man was getting closer, impatience clear in his quickly approaching steps. There. His fingers brushed against the handle of the pistol, and his hand reached out to tightly clutch it. Deep breaths, Mitsuru.

"Hey, what're you doing back there?" Shouting, the man sped up, closing the distance between them in swift steps. With one last breath, Mitsuru whipped his hand forward, pistol locked forwards as he aimed it down on the man.

Silence. The man had immediately stopped at the sight of the black firearm, expertly balanced by the boy. Mitsuru was no newcomer to the gun industry. He had been practicing for years, waiting for a chance to prove himself. A sense of confidence floored through him at the look the man was giving him, and he beckoned the man to move back as he held the gun straight, his finger twitching against the trigger. He was in complete control. It was a feeling he had never felt before, and energy flowed through his fingertips. It was exhilarating.

"Hey, I was just trying to help," His voice was slow and cautious, echoing out throughout the streets. The man raised his hands in the air, and Mitsuru's eyes snapped to the man's stealthily shuffling steps.

"Back up, now. I'm not afraid to shoot," Mitsuru was pleasantly surprised at the tone of his voice, which sounded much deeper than its normal tone. It only fueled his conviction further, his grip tightening against the pistol.

The man finally stopped, mere steps away from Mitsuru. However, the distance was still far enough to give Mitsuru a chance to react. A slow nod, and Mitsuru nodded in return, unsure of how to proceed. The man was twitching, and his eyes looked nervously around, before locking onto something behind him.

Was there another one? His eyes itched to look, and he quickly whipped his head around, his eyes quickly scanning the area. Nothing?

The sound of shoes scraping against the ground alerted Mitsuru to turn back around, where he bore witness to the man sprinting towards Mitsuru, his hands desperately reaching for his gun.

Mitsuru closed his eyes as he pushed the trigger, his body ready for the recoil.

…

Nothing.

Mitsuru's heart sank as he realized the critical miscalculation that had occurred. He had forgotten about the safety.

A brief struggle over control led to the pistol being stolen from his grasp, thrown across the street as Mitsuru fell to the floor, his hands scraping roughly against the pavement. His breaths wildly ragged, Mitsuru could only watch as the man slowly grinned, an evil glint in his eye as he stood over the vulnerable teenager.

"The fuck did you think you were gonna do with that kid?" The man erratically spoke, his eyes hard as he continued to stare down at Mitsuru. "I was really tryna help. Maybe take your phone and some other goodies, but you just had to pull the gun out, didn't ya?"

Fists grasped onto Mitsuru's collar as he was picked up, the man putting his face directly in front of Mitsuru's. His breaths smelled of alcohol, tainted with pungent taste. Mitsuru didn't even give a fight, his very will of survival seemingly gone. It was over. All the confidence that had been rushing within him disappeared the instant Mitsuru had pulled the trigger, failing to do the simplest of tasks. He was dead.

"But now, you're going to experience pain you smug bitch. Tryna kill me like that, you're in for the worst," The man said excitedly, his eyes filled with an unruly sentiment as his fists tightened against Mitsuru's collar. The teen barely reacted, instead slumping in the man's grasp.

He was going to die. Just like his mother. His mind painfully flashed back to her slump figure, her lifeless body lying in the hospital bed, a periodic beeping that had haunted his dreams. He wondered what she would say to him in heaven, if it existed. They could finally live peacefully, away from the fear that had controlled their lives from his birth.

**BANG!**

Mitsuru fell to the floor as the man's grip abruptly loosened, his mouth agape as he stood there, before taking a misguided step forward, stumbling to the ground. Blood pooled from the back of his head, corrupting the floor below him.

His heart throbbed against his chest, and every muscle in his body seemed to release itself from its self-imbued tenseness. He was alive. He wasn't dead, yet. Relief flooded throughout his veins as he turned to look at his savior.

Tall. She was tall, a slender build complimenting her figure. Long pink hair fell down to the girl's waist, and her turquoise eyes shone dangerously, a hint of a glowing red hue active in them. She was dressed in a black and red plaid skirt, a similarly colored jacket hanging loosely from her elbows as a simple white shirt finished her look.

A gun was clearly pointed at him as her eyes seemed to scan him robotically, and Mitsuru felt fear once again take hold of his body, rendering him a frozen body on the floor.

With silence, the girl expertly flipped her gun, holstering it as she turned, her hands depositing themselves in her pockets, and Mitsuru blinked. She was leaving?

"W-wait!" Mitsuru called out, scrambling to his feet. "Thanks for saving me! What's your name?"

The girl turned back, and Mitsuru nearly flinched at the coldness of her eyes. The utter disinterest was so obvious in those green orbs of hers as she looked back at the teenager, and Mitsuru wanted to just fall back to the ground and pretend he never existed. She looked at him like he was some rotten piece of trash in her path, and her eyes were clearly irate that such filth had even talked to her.

Heels clanked on the floor as she resumed her walk, not answering his question as she left, leaving Mitsuru to his lonesome.

Mitsuru nearly slapped himself as he felt a wet sensation flowing down his cheeks, and he angrily bit his tongue in a futile effort to stop his tears. His feet slowly stepped forward in an inconsistent fashion as he attempted to control himself.

It was horrid. This feeling of failure. His one chance to prove himself, to finally be given a chance to do _something_. And he had to be saved by someone that hadn't even given the boy a second thought, barely acknowledging his existence.

It was infuriating. It was downright humiliating. Yet, Mitsuru knew that he should be grateful, given that she had ensured his continued survival. So with a great deal of unhappiness, Mitsuru accepted his failure and reasoned that next time he would be able to stand the test and excel.

Next time, he would prove himself. Not to anyone in particular, not at all. No, Mitsuru wanted to prove his worth to himself.

* * *

Night had fallen once Mitsuru made it back, making his way painfully to his house. The scrapes on his hands were stinging at him, and he was in an absolutely rotten mood. He definitely didn't want to return home, given that his father would react poorly to his late return. But he had to, so he was reluctant with his steps as he made his way home.

He had escaped the rest of the area with relative ease, making his way back to the normal streets he was familiar with. The return to normalcy was greatly appreciated, and Mitsuru shivered slightly at the cold winds that berated him. He was close to home, and he found himself strangely yearning for its warmth.

"M-Mitsuru?"

The boy turned, looking down at a frightened girl. Long wavy blonde hair flowed smoothly down her back as a blue headband held it. She wore a simple white hoodie, small black shorts leaving her bare skin exposed. She was crouched near the river that flowed in his neighborhood, a bag full of small fish food in her hand as her rich blue eyes locked widely to his body.

Kokoro. She was a part of Hiro's group of friends, and he remembered her in the past for her innocent childish ways, always afraid to do anything. She was a very safe girl, though perhaps she might have changed after all these years. They had a few classes together at Mistilteinn, though the boy generally paid her no mind.

Mitsuru looked down at his windbreaker, scowling as he realized blood had been splattered against it. Damn.

"Are you okay?" Kokoro's blue orbs were filled with worry as she stood, her voice high as she made her way to Mitsuru.

He stepped backwards, keeping the distance between them as he regarded her with cold eyes. "It's nothing. I had… just fallen earlier, that's all," Mitsuru avoided her gaze as he lied, though there was truth in the statement. It was just that the blood had not come from his scrapes. No, it was from the man that had been shot dead in front of Mitsuru.

"Let me see," Her voice was soft, and Mitsuru found himself nearly giving in. The caring in her words were nearly enough to break his will, given that he had a serious lack of such throughout his day. However, he stood strong as he shook his head.

"Don't. Don't pity me," He found himself saying, his voice sharp. She flinched, and he felt a strange sentiment rise within him, an uncomfortable feeling that Mitsuru wanted to rid himself of.

Silence befell the two as they stood awkwardly, Kokoro looking down at the floor and Mitsuru staring forwards to the street. He thought of the girl that had saved him, the lack of interest in her eyes. And, finally, Mitsuru realized why it had hurt so much. He wanted to be recognized. He wanted to be acknowledged. But in his backwards sense of thinking, he pushed away those that _wanted _to care about him, only searching for the eyes of those that never looked towards him. Just like in the past, with Hiro.

"I'm… sorry. I didn't mean that," Mitsuru said, his voice forgiving as he turned back to the girl, who seemed to flinch again with the sudden attention. "It's just been a long day."

"No, no! You're fine, it's all my fault," Kokoro squeaked, her voice fading away as she stared softly at Mitsuru. "If it's okay with you, can I see your scrapes?"

The boy just nodded softly, raising his hands hesitantly in the air. Kokoro looked at them, holding them in her hands warmly.

"They're not that bad," Kokoro said while analyzing the wounds. "You just shouldn't have rubbed them onto your clothes. Here, I have some clean water we can use to wash the blood and grime off."

Mitsuru watched as Kokoro walked back to the area where she had been feeding the fish, grabbing her water bottle before returning. She gently opened the cap, slowly releasing the water atop his palms. Mitsuru winced at the sensation, cringing as the water stung at his cuts. But he held his hands still, and he found himself jealously watching the water fall to the ground, his parched throat suddenly becoming very aware.

Kokoro seemed to notice his eyes, stopping the flow of the water as she tipped it back up. "Are you thirsty? You can drink from it, I haven't touched it yet," She told him, tilting the bottle in his direction. Mitsuru wanted to say no, but his thirst decided to take control as he took the bottle gratefully, savagely gulping the water down as his throat sighed in pleasure.

Kokoro stared at him with fascination as he put it down, and Mitsuru felt himself turn slightly pink as he realized he had drunk all the water.

"Wow," Was all she could say, stifling her giggles with her hand as took the bottle back. "You really were thirsty, huh."

Face flushed, Mitsuru just slid his hands into his pockets, a sheepish half-smile on his lips as he shrugged.

"It's okay. You did say it's been a tough day," She offered him a sympathetic look, a smile wide on her lips, something that Mitsuru strangely found endearing. "We've all been there."

"Yeah, I guess we have," Mitsuru responded quietly, his eyes glancing away from her lips. "Anyways, it's late. I should be heading home."

"Y-yeah! You're right. I should be getting home too," Kokoro spoke rapidly, collecting her stuff as she began to walk away, nervously glancing at Mitsuru once again before leaving.

"Hey, Kokoro," Mitsuru called out to the girl, not wanting to leave it there. The girl turned, and her hair blew softly in the night winds, her body lit by the wonderful moonlight. She looked pristine, and Mitsuru found himself turning a tad pink again. "Thank you. Really, thank you."

"No problem, Mitsuru," A happy smile spread across her face, her eyes shining with an unfamiliar emotion. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay Mitsuru?"

He nodded at her, turning around and taking his leave. He was unsure of what exactly was happening to him, this sudden rush of emotions that had taken over. But he enjoyed it, that was certain. It truly had been a long day for him, and meeting Kokoro was the highlight. He smiled softly, before shaking his head.

It was just mere coincidence, really. There was no other meaning behind it other than Kokoro was a nice girl. So he took his mind off her, finding himself before his house. Taking a deep breath, he rang the doorbell, uncertain of what reaction his late arrival would garner. His mind flashed to the picture that stained his memories, the one of a rage-filled man drunkenly standing before him, every ounce of humanity gone.

The door opened. Immediately Mitsuru was taken into a hug, and he felt the body embracing him shaking wildly, racked with sobs.

"Mitsuru, where were you?" His father asked, holding him tightly as Mitsuru grimaced at the unfamiliar sensation. "I was worried sick. I thought I had lost you… just like…"

Had it been any other day, Mitsuru would have forced his father off him, scowling and telling him to fuck off. Had it been any other day before his mother's death, he would have been sorely beaten by his father. But it wasn't any other day. Today was a new day.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Mitsuru found himself whispering, and his father even froze at the words. Perhaps it was meeting the girl that had saved him, perhaps it was Kokoro. Perhaps it was his encounter with death itself. Whatever the reason, Mitsuru felt a sudden change of heart. Perhaps it was time to give his father a chance. "You won't lose me yet, I promise."

**The Squire's Adventure**

* * *

**Author's Note:** This chapter delves into some darker themes about child abuse, however it isn't depicted in the chapter. Rather, I chose to delve into the recovery and rehabilitation of all parties involved in the process of abuse. Please know that this comes from a very personal place, and if you have any problems with my depiction of it, please let me know. Otherwise, I hope you guys enjoy. Thank you to those that left reviews, I love reading the reactions you guys have to the story.


	7. 07

**07**

**Eternal Punishment. To be so close. Yet so far.**

**To reach out was the dream. But instead**

**He remained**

**HUNGRY**

_"We have to protect him, Goro,"_

His mind echoed the statement from the night two days ago as he sat in class, dully dragging his pencil against his paper. A bunch of problems were sprawled out across it, a worksheet. Behind him, he could hear Zorome feistily arguing with the teacher over a math problem, in which the teacher was giving a futile attempt to explain.

He was nearly done, being on the last problem. His eyelids fluttered, desperately yearning for close as he fastened his pace, hoping for the sweet hug of sleep to hold him once he finished. Just separate the variable, reverse the fraction. Find each case of ambiguity, and…

He was done. He hastily circled his answer, and he wanted to immediately collapse atop his desk and just _sleep_. However, he instead kept his cool, getting up with his work. All he had to do was turn it in onto the teacher's desk, and he would be finally free. He didn't want to think anymore, about both math and the past few nights. Just rest.

"Uhm, Goro? If you don't mind, could you help me?" An embarrassed voice spoke to him as he passed by, and Goro turned. It was Futoshi, who gave a sheepish grin to him as he pointed towards his work. Completely and utterly empty. "I just didn't understand anything our professor was saying. You think you could try and explain it to me?"

Goro slightly grit his teeth as he looked down at his friend, a part of his mind groaning at Futoshi's incapability. He just wanted to sleep, was it so much to ask? He had all right to refuse and just turn it in, leaving his friend to figure it out.

"Yeah, of course I can," Goro flashed Futoshi a friendly smile, one Futoshi reciprocated gratefully. "What exactly do you not understand?"

* * *

The lunch table was strangely quiet, other than Zorome's and Miku's incessant arguing. Futoshi amusedly watched the duo, but everyone else seemed to be in their own clouds of thought. Kokoro kept whipping her head backwards, as if looking for someone. Ichigo seemed to be transfixed at her food, though none of it had been eaten. Hiro was glued to his phone, having finished his food in lightning fast speeds.

Goro didn't even have an appetite. He didn't bother getting any food, instead deciding he could use the time for desperately needed sleep. However, his body seemed to disagree as it turned away from the prospect to instead think of the blue-haired girl who sat before him.

He knew what she was thinking. She was worried about Hiro, and Goro understood the sentiment. He was worried too. If her words were truthful, something was going on. However, the extent of it wasn't exactly foreseeable, and Goro still found himself hesitating. It was hardly believable to think Hiro was in grave danger, but Goro, being one of Hiro's closest friends, couldn't just dismiss it as a falsehood.

"Ichigo," Goro said cautiously, catching the girl's attention. She looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "You haven't touched your food at all."

"Hmm," She simply mumbled, her eyes returning to her food as she seemed to ignore his words. Goro sighed, shaking his head slightly. Ichigo was an amazing person. Perfect in so many qualities, but yet… Sometimes, the girl was simply stubborn. When encountered with a problem, she simply shut down, as if waiting for it to resolve itself. Such a great mind, but sometimes, she just needed a little push to get started.

"Excuse us, I have to talk to Ichigo about a project in our class," Goro announced to the rest of his friends, Ichigo lifting her head sharply. Her mouth opened as if she were to retort something back, but he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side, waving to his friends, who waved before returning to whatever they had been up to before.

"What do you want?" Ichigo hissed, clearly unhappy from being taken from her previous exertion. Her green eyes seemed to softly pulse, and Goro kept pulling her to the hallway, where they were finally left into a private atmosphere.

"You're worried," Goro stated, his words an obvious truth. Ichigo just raised an eyebrow, scoffing as she turned her head. Goro didn't take the discouragement and continued to speak. "I am too. So, what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Her voice was irritated, crossing her arms as she spoke. "If I did, I would have done something about it already."

"Okay, then let's figure it out, yeah?" Goro asked the girl, who gave a slow nod, expectant eyes rising to his as she waited for his plan. "Okay, well, you said we have to protect him, right? From what?"

"The girl," She rolled her eyes, irate from the questions Goro was asking. "Zero Two."

"Why?" He asked out loud, his mind racing in circles as he tried to process the information again. She had explained it to him before, but he had to try and get his mind running again.

"I don't know. It's just what _they_ told me," She sighed, clearly as confused as he was. "But it was urgent. We have to protect him."

"From what though? Who even is the girl?" Goro seemed to be absorbing the girl's frustration as he continued, and his mind was simply boggled. Things weren't making sense. "Why'd she show up all of a sudden? Why do we have to separate her and Hiro?"

"I told you, I'm not sure. But I have a hunch," Ichigo paused, and Goro curiously turned his eyes to her. "I think she was the reason he got hurt all those years ago."

"But you aren't sure," Goro replied, turning back away from her. All these were assumptions, but there wasn't anything concrete. It was infuriating.

"No," Ichigo admitted, her foot tapping anxiously against the floor. "But I have other reasons to prove my hunch."

"Like?" His question was left hanging in the air, and he turned back to the girl, who seemed to stand before him, uncertain.

"Well… I was never told exactly _why_ Hiro got hurt. But they had told me he had been kidnapped," Ichigo began, and Goro's ears perked at the new information. He hadn't been told this. "But that was all. But I remember hearing one word being thrown around a lot between the adults. Franxx."

"What's a Franxx?" Goro raised his eyebrow at the foreign word.

"I didn't know at the time either. But a few years ago, I had gotten some information out of my father on one of his fun nights," She began, and she moved her bangs back to her ear. "Remember Project Apus?"

"How could you even ask that?" His voice was hard as he spoke, his eyes glossing over. How could she even say something like that, given his situation?

"I didn't mean it like that," She immediately raised her hand to his shoulder, a pair of green eyes staring apologetically back at him. "I didn't mean to offend you. But back to the topic, I had asked him about stuff, and he eventually spilled some info. Project Apus had stopped because of rampant gang activity in the area. Specifically, two gangs. The Klax and… the Franxx."

"You mean to tell me that… Hiro was…" His voice trailed off as Ichigo slowly nodded, and his mind hurt as he tried to realize what she was implicating.

"I think Hiro was kidnapped by a gang. Specifically, the Franxx."

"But why? Why would they kidnap him? And what does the girl have to do with it?" His voice was rapid, blasting questions out.

"I don't know why they kidnapped him," She spoke exasperatedly, her eyes lit by a fiery spirit that hungered for answers. "But it just all _clicks_. When Hiro was waking in and out of his coma, he told me. He told me to remember her name, Zero Two."

"Okay. And?" His interest was seriously piqued, and he felt much more awake now than he had been all day.

"He didn't know her before he had been kidnapped. It was only once he had been, she became someone. We know that Zero Two is around our age too. I think that… that Zero Two is a girl in the Franxx gang, maybe a daughter of one of the gang members. They had met, and given she was a child at the time too, they must have talked. Hiro wanted to remember her, so he asked me to. But he forgot, and now she's back because she was ordered to kidnap him again."

Silence befell the two as Goro listened to her theory. It was… interesting, to say the least. However, the realistic possibility that such a thing was happening was slim. Life wasn't a movie after all, and this seemed to be straight out of a fiction.

"I don't know… Isn't it kind of a wild assumption?" Goro weakly said, uncertain of how to react. Ichigo simply huffed in response, turning her head to the side.

"Alright, alright. Let's say that we take this all as true. If, and that's a massive if, the girl was a gang member, and she was trying to kidnap Hiro again, how are we supposed to stop them?" Goro asked, and Ichigo shrugged.

"I don't know yet. I say we stake out his house, wait for her to show up, and tell her that Hiro's guarded now," Ichigo stated with confidence, her eyes a hard green, filled with determination.

"Ichigo," Goro said slowly, trying to get his words through to her. "If she's truly a gang member, do you think we stand a chance against her?"

A reluctant pause stopped her actions, and she seemed to realize what he was saying, a scowl entering her face.

"What else are we supposed to do? We can't leave him be," Her voice softened as she trailed off, turning her eyes to Goro. Her eyes shimmered, and Goro held out his hand to her shoulder. "We have to protect him, Goro."

"Yeah, I know," He mumbled, rubbing her shoulder reassuringly as he thought, trying to figure out a solution for the dilemma. "Perhaps we should just tell Hiro."

Ichigo seemed to consider it, before slowly nodding in agreement.

"It would make sense to do that, yeah. But I don't know," Murmuring, she looked up at Goro, biting her lip slightly as she continued. "They told me specifically to never tell Hiro about it, ever. They said it was of the upmost importance that I never told him."

"But they couldn't have known about the circumstances now, could they?" Goro tried to reason with her. "They probably told you that to prevent some repressive memories from coming back."

"Yeah, but I can't shake the feeling that there's something more to this, Goro," Ichigo said honestly, an uneasiness striking her eyes. "I think we should try to talk to our parents and see if they know anything."

"I guess you're right," Goro admitted. "I'll ask my parents about it."

"I will too, then let's reconvene," She agreed, giving a grateful smile to the sandy-haired teenager. "Thanks, Goro."

"No problem, Ichigo," Goro gave the girl a bright smile as she nodded to him, taking her leave as the bell rang, indicating that it was time for the next class to begin. She gave him a wave as she left, and he watched the girl go, a strange sensation wrapping its way around Goro's heart.

* * *

Goro felt his eyelids drooping, threatening to close as he slowly stirred the pot, yawning in the process. The rod in hand was heavier than usual, and he felt a growing sensation to drop it and take a nice long nap. Such a refreshing prospect pushed him close to doing just that, but he shook his head, determined to maintain his resolve.

_"After all, he had to look after Naomi and Kio"_ He thought amusedly as he heard the two kids go at it in the living room, a roundabout of tussling being echoed throughout the house. He took a spoonful of the broth, taking a small sip. It was hot, but the taste seemed to be as sharp as usual. His mother's recipe.

"Naomi! Kio!" Goro called out, and a sudden pause overtook the house before a scrambling of feet and voices were heard, the children bursting their way into the kitchen. Goro gave an affectionate smile to Naomi, his 10-year-old sister, who barged in first, the glee of triumph clear in her face. She had longer hair that stretched down to her mid-back, a color much darker than Goro's. Brown eyes were matched with a longer face, a hint of freckles plastered on her cheeks. Slightly tomboyish, she was insanely competitive, striving to prove that she was the best in anything, meaning she was usually beating even the boys at her school at sports.

Right on her tail was Kio, Goro's 7-year-old brother, who rushed to his dinner seat, giving Naomi a confident grin. He was wildly short, a stark difference from Goro who had always been tall. Blond hair sat atop his head, fashioned in a longer form than Goro's.

"I win! I was the first to sit down!" Kio exclaimed happily, and Naomi opened her mouth in pure outrage.

"No way! The rules were whoever made it to the kitchen first!" She vehemently argued with her brother, who shook his head equally as aggressively.

"No! Since when has that been the rule?"

"Since forever! So, therefore, I win!"

"Who says?"

"I do, since I'm older!"

"No, Goro is older! Goro, who won?" Kio turned to his older brother, a desperate plea clear in his eyes as Goro placed his hand curiously on his chin, feigning thinking.

"Hmm," He exaggerated, taking a good look at both of his siblings. "Well Kio, I think Naomi's right on this one."

"See! Told you!" Naomi stuck her tongue out in a childish fashion, leaving Kio a grumbly mess as he gave Goro a betrayed frown. The eldest brother could only offer a shrug and a sheepish smile, pouring the broth out of the top into two bowls.

"Chicken broth! Again!" Kio let out his frustrations towards Goro through his cooking, giving his older brother the nastiest stare a seven-year-old could muster.

"Kio, we haven't had broth since last month," Goro reminded his brother, giving him a pat on the head. "Plus, I used mom's recipe."

"Hmph," Was all that came out of Kio, a reluctant approval as he picked up his spoon, taking a sip.

Naomi gave her brother a wide grateful grin as she dove into her food, shoveling the food down at inhuman speeds. Goro just shook his head, a smile stuck to his face as he left the kitchen, walking down the hall to collect his father, Ainer.

Snoring filled his ears as he got closer, and Goro stuck his head in to see his father sprawled across his bed, his arms lazily lying atop his stomach. Goro approached slowly, shaking his father lightly to wake him.

"Hnngh?" His father sounded, blinking rapidly as he slowly awoke, giving Goro a questioning glance as his eyes slowly focused.

"The food's ready, dad," Goro told him, and his father sleepily nodded, gesturing to his wheelchair. Goro went over and rolled it to his father's bedside, helping the man into it. After a brief bit of struggling, Goro began to wheel his father into the kitchen.

Kio immediately stood to attention, giving his father a salute as he stood out of his chair. "Captain Stubs, sir!" Kio said, his voice rigid and his back straight as he spoke, to the laughter of his father.

"Stand down, soldier, and eat," His father responded back, his voice becoming equally as professional as Kio gave a hard nod before sitting back down and continuing his meal.

"Captain Stubs?" Naomi asked, stifling a giggle as she gave her father a funny look.

"What? I ain't afraid to show these bad boys," Ainer proudly said, wiggling the round remnants of his leg, which had been amputated to his knees. Goro shook his head with a chuckle as he rolled his father into position, going to grab a bowl.

His father flashed him an appreciative look as Goro returned with a bowl of broth, and his father took an exaggerated sniff of it.

"Mmmmmm. Just how I like it," He proudly stated, giving Goro a good pat on the back as he began to eat, savoring each taste. Goro went to grab his own portion, eating at the dinner table with his family.

Eventually, the children left, leaving Goro and his father to the kitchen alone, the moment which Goro had been waiting for. He turned to his father, opening his mouth to speak.

"Dad?" Goro cautiously began, and the man in question nodded for him to continue. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Tell me what's on your mind then," Ainer gave an encouraging smile, and Goro paused. There were certain sensitive topics for his father that Goro definitely didn't want to poke and prod into. But he had to find answers.

"It's about Hiro," Goro said slowly, and Ainer nodded his head at the same pace, as if gesturing for him to continue. "Do you know what happened all those years ago when Hiro went into his coma?"

A pause, and Goro couldn't read the expression on his father's face, which was a blank slate. His eyes seemed to wander from his food to Goro, and it was clear he was collecting words for his answer.

"Why? Did something happen?" Ainer evaded Goro's question, instead responding with a question of his own. Goro decided to play the game for now, answering.

"No. Well, yes. We're not sure, but we think something might be going on."

"Okay, then what's going on," Ainer inquired, his hands dropping to the table in a more serious manner.

"I'm not sure if I can tell you," Goro trailed off, speaking the truth as he looked at his father, who gave him a stern stare in return.

"Goro, I'm your father. I am also an adult. If someone is in danger, you have to let me know," His father's tone had a serious hardness in it as he spoke, and Goro decided that it might be for the best to let him in on the knowledge.

"Zero Two," Goro blurted out, making sure he kept his eyes closely on his father as he looked for a reaction. Instead, he just saw confusion.

"No clue what that is, son," He sheepishly said, raising an eyebrow as if questioning Goro. It was blunt honesty, and Goro accepted his father's answer.

"Okay. What about the Franxx?" The teen questioned further, and this time his words seemed to garner a reaction. Immediately, Ainer's eyes seemed to gloss over, an expert guard that made it impossible for one to read through it.

"What about them?" The guard seemed to transfer over to his voice, a clear emotionless question, but containing a dangerous undertone that made Goro choose his words wisely.

"We have… reason to believe that Hiro's coma had been caused by the Franxx," Goro spoke slowly, thinking every word twice before he released them out to the open air. "And we also have reason that they are trying to target him again."

"Who's we?" An immediate response, one that Goro wasn't ready for. However, he knew his father, and Goro was certain the hasty response was delivered to stall for time.

"Me and Ichigo," Goro responded just as fast. "Dad, that's why you have to tell me. Do you know anything about Hiro's coma?"

Silence befell the two, accompanied by the loud noises of his siblings in the other room. He desperately waited, hoping his father would come through.

"I don't know much," Ainer finally said, his voice heavy as he spoke, a darkened look overtaking his face. "What I do know is this. The Franxx aren't a gang. They're too highly organized and powerful to be one. If anything, they're a mafia, a crime syndicate."

A crime syndicate? Goro could only furrow his eyebrows in confusion as his father continued.

"Then what do they have to do with Hiro?" Goro's voice was small as he spoke, his mind throbbing as he realized the extent to what was going on.

"I don't know," His father said, a sigh of uncertainty escaping him as he leaned back further into his chair. "I was never told the specifics of what happened to Hiro. However, I do know that the Klax aren't necessarily a gang either. In fact, they were one a part of the Franxx. Something happened, and they decided to break away into their own separate faction."

"Okay, but what does this have to do with Hiro?" Goro was beginning to get impatient, though the knowledge at hand was piquing his interest. He hadn't heard of anything like it before, but with the clock running down, Hiro was at the top of his chart of importance. His father raised his hand to pause Goro, continuing.

"The Franxx were the ones who began Project Apus," Ainer said, his voice shallow. "What exactly they were trying to create, I don't know. I worked for them, but I was just a construction worker. But when the Klax decided to leave, they wanted to destroy all the progress that had been done. So they left in a chaotic fight, resulting in many accidents and deaths. That's how… I lost my legs."

Goro's blood froze over, an icy sensation that left him numb. His father was always sensitive about the subject of how he lost his legs, only telling him that it was a construction accident during his work at Project Apus. However, if what he was saying was true…

"That's not all," His father continued, and he gave Goro an urgent look, as if what he was about to say was of the upmost importance. "The reason why this has to do with Hiro is… Hiro's parents… I think they were a part of the Klax."

* * *

"Yes, we have surveillance over the Strell household," Alpha lazily spoke as he held the phone against his ear, watching in disinterest at the simple home that stood before him. "The Strell child seems to be in the household as we speak. However, our scout teams have also spotted increased guard in the area. Specifically, the most dangerous being of a Lehmann-class, going by the name of Leven, I believe."

"Interesting. They seem to be up to something," Papa's voice rumbled through the phone, a deep sound that gleamed of an unknown undertone. "Has there been any investigations onto why they are increasing their patrol here?"

"It might be a counterreaction," Alpha theorized, hiding his yawn as he leaned against the bench he sat on. "Though, I don't believe our scouts teams have been spotted. However, it has been noted Iota has been in this area. Perhaps the sighting of her incited this."

"Has she had any interaction with the Strell child?" Papa's voice was sharp, and Alpha could detect the slight tone of worry. He suddenly remembered that Iota was never to interact with the Strell child, though informing her of such would probably give her the drive to do just that, in an act of defiance.

"We don't believe such interaction has occurred," Alpha responded, his eye locking onto a blue-haired female walking her way down the street. She looked familiar. He suddenly recalled the briefing mission a few days ago, her face being plastered on one of the images. Ichigo. "If it has, however, it would be quite obvious given that Iota would be going for our throats."

"Indeed," Papa acknowledged his sentiment, a quiet chuckle being heard from his side. "Good job, Alpha. Continue your mission. The time is coming, and we must be ready."

"Of course, Papa," Alpha said, tracking the girl that seemed to be walking towards Hiro's house. "I'll report back to you if anything occurs."

A clicking sound indicated that Papa had hung up, and Alpha deposited his phone into his pocket. Ichigo seemed to be making a beeline towards Hiro's house, and Alpha pondered on whether he should disrupt her or not, maybe make things interesting.

Though, he eventually decided that such action, while fun, wouldn't warrant anything useful to the operation and might actually hinder it. Every element had to go perfectly right for Papa's plan to work, and Alpha wasn't ever going to hinder Papa.

So he lingered at the bench, watching in curiosity as the girl waited at Hiro's home, where the door eventually opened. Though he was across the street, he could see the general look of the boy. An exact replica of the boy that they had taken all those years ago. Alpha could feel a smile rise upon his lips as the girl went into the house, closing the door.

He couldn't wait to see the reaction from Iota. To learn that her _darling_ had been so utterly close this whole time. When she saw him, Alpha was certain that the pink-haired girl would instantly disappear, leaving the Franxx for good. Though, it is true that Hiro didn't exactly remember her, so perhaps things would go differently.

He shrugged, unsure of what outcomes were to come. All he knew was that the blowout would certainly be eventful, and a smile danced across his lips fondly as he thought of Iota, finally reunited with her darling. And the look on the Strell child's face when he realized how much of a monster she really was.

* * *

"Hiro," Ichigo began slowly, her feet shuffling awkwardly against the kitchen floor as she tried to collect her words, Hiro casting her a curious gaze. "I wanted to talk about… Zero Two."

"Do you know her?" Hiro asked, pouring them glasses of water as his voice piqued with interest.

"Not really, but…" Ichigo trailed off, cautious as she selected the words she would be using. "I have reason to believe that she's dangerous for you."

"You can't say that, you haven't even met her yet," Hiro returned with a playful smirk, pointing out the obvious.

"Okay, but that's not what I'm trying to get at," She tried to convey her words to him, but Hiro instead interrupted her.

"I get it, Ichigo. You're worried for me. I get it. But I know what I'm doing, okay? Plus, she's just a friend. Nothing's going to happen," Hiro reasoned, his voice thick with a reassuring tone. Ichigo grimaced, biting her lip as she realized this conversation wasn't heading where she had wanted it to.

"Hiro! Listen to me!" She blurted out, and her sudden outburst caused a silence to befall the kitchen. Hiro gave a slight nod, quieting down for her to continue. "I have… reason… I think that… It's just… Zero Two is dangerous because we think she's a gang member!"

A thick fog seemed to overtake the atmosphere as the two looked at each other, Ichigo desperate in her attempt to get Hiro to just _understand_. Instead, the teenager seemed to just chew his lip, as if wondering how to respond.

"What do you mean?" Hiro asked, giving an awkward chuckle along with it. However, Ichigo had known Hiro for years. She had memorized his every action, his every emotion. It didn't help that Hiro was the most expressive boy with his emotions. And she could clearly see that he was lying. He knew.

"You _knew_?" Her voice was quiet, quaking with an intensity as she asked, and Hiro conveniently decided it was time to look at the wall to the side.

"Yeah. I did. But I still decided to be around her, because she's not dangerous," Hiro stated, his voice tight.

"What do you mean she's not dangerous? Hiro, she's a gang member. A gang member!" Ichigo's voice was loud as she tried to get her words through the thick skull that Hiro had, but he seemed to not budge at all.

"So what?" Hiro turned to her, a fiery spirit in his eyes as he challenged her words. "Maybe she is a part of a gang, so what? It's not like it was her choice. She was born into a shitty situation, and it's not her fault."

"So what? Hiro, do you know what you're even saying?" She was shouting now, anger dripping from her voice. "She's going to kill you, Hiro. Kill you!"

The sound of a squeaking chair scraping against the floor echoed throughout the house as Hiro immediately stood up, his eyes lit with an electrifying passion as he looked at Ichigo.

"I don't want to fight you, Ichigo," His voice was blunt, giving off an undertone that immediately shut Ichigo up. "But she won't kill me. She's not dangerous. Zero Two… She's not like that, okay? I promise you, she's… She's sweet, caring, fun, proud, funny, she's… She's not what you think she is."

A tightening around her chest strained her breathing, and she looked down at the ground, unable to say anything back. The way he spoke about her, the passion lighting brightly in his eyes. It was intimidating, and it left an uneasy hold against her heart.

"I get it, Ichigo," Hiro's voice was soft now as he walked over to her side, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You care for me. I care for you too. I've known you for so long, it's been what, 12 years since we met? If I ever thought you were in danger, I'd come rushing over too."

She looked up, transfixed by the warm look in his eyes, the ones that she had been looking for, her heart had yearned for. She always wanted him to look at her that way, and she felt her heart begin to flutter, rapidly accelerating.

"You're like," He continued, and she leaned in ever so slightly, so desperate to hear his words for her, the ones she had wanted to hear for so long.

"You're like a sister to me, the one I never had. I know that I would be worried for you if you were in the same situation as me. But you have to trust me on this one. I know what I'm doing. Zero Two… She… She brings out something in me that I haven't felt in a long time. She would never hurt me, I know it for a fact. So just trust me on this one, okay?"

Heartbreak. She shattered into pieces, barely recognizing the words he had said after his first few words. His sister.

"Yeah, you're right," She found herself saying, her throat weak as she slowly slid out of her chair to stand. "You're like a brother to me, Hiro. I'm just worried about you, alright?"

Hiro nodded earnestly, giving her an understanding smile. "But siblings trust each other, right? So just trust me on this one, I know what I'm doing."

She nodded mindlessly, walking her way to the entrance, Hiro right behind her.

"I'm sorry Hiro," Ichigo said, her voice flat as she turned to the boy, who shook his head.

"No need," He gave her a broad grin as he opened the door for her. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright Ichigo?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

* * *

Goro finally finished cleaning the house. All the dishes, all the trash, vacuuming, making sure the living room wasn't a living mess. All done. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as he glanced towards the clock. 9:00 PM.

Outside, he heard the beep of a car, indicating that someone was outside. His mother. He went to the door, ready to welcome her in.

"Goro!" His mother smiled as she looked at her son, giving him a big hug. Goro embraced his mother warmly. She was quite tall, with blond short hair and light brown eyes similar to Goro's own. "How have you been today?"

"Good, mom," Goro said, noticing the lines underneath her eyes and the exhaustion that was so clearly reflected in them. After his father's accident, his mother became the sole provider of the family. Until recently, that is, when Goro got his own part-time job. "How was work?"

"Tiring," She yawned afterwards, beginning to make her way to her room. "I'm going to take the night early. Good night, Goro."

"Good night mom," Goro said to her, watching as she disappeared into the hallway. Goro then went into his own room, ready to take his much-needed sleep as well. The past two days had been beyond exhausting, and he was ready to call it a night. His manager had let him off his shift today, something that the teenager greatly appreciated.

He was in the restroom, hastily brushing his teeth, when his phone rang. Goro quickly looked to his device, seeing that it was Ichigo's mother calling. Strange.

He spit out the toothpaste, grabbing his phone and picking up.

"Hello?" He asked, and immediately Ichigo's mother began to speak, worry clear in her voice.

"Goro, have you seen Ichigo anywhere? She left the house a while back to visit Hiro, but never came back. I called, and Hiro said she had left his house about an hour ago, but she still isn't home yet," Shelly was frantic, and Goro immediately went to grab a jacket.

"No, I haven't seen her anywhere. I'll go out and look for her," Goro told Ichigo's mother, who immediately sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Goro. I'll go and see if anyone else has any idea where she is," Shelly said, thanking Goro one last time before hanging up. Goro grabbed his keys as he left the house, his eyes protesting greatly to the continued time spent awake. He was tired.

But he had to keep going.

He was pretty sure he knew where Ichigo was, after all, he knew everything about her. All the ins and outs that made her character. However, the real question in his mind was why had she visited Hiro? Hadn't they agreed to not tell him? He decided to reserve the discussion for later, instead focusing on finding the blue-haired girl.

* * *

The night covered the sky in a cold embrace, blanketing it. Given the season, autumn, it was quite often that night came far earlier than usual, giving Goro a calm setting to walk in as he made his way to the corner store.

It was one of Ichigo's favorite places to be, though not inside. No, just to sit outside and think, sitting on the curb. And there she was, sitting right outside of the store.

Except as he got closer, he noticed dried tears that had left themselves atop her cheeks, and her green eyes looked lost. He sat next to her, looking at her, unsure of what to say.

"Ichigo, what happened?" Goro asked, his voice tentative as he spoke to the girl next to him. Ichigo turned to look at the teen, her face expressionless.

"Goro… I… I'm… I'm so utterly stupid," Her voice was soft but bitter, and Goro felt an overwhelming voice tell him to hug her, to comfort her. Instead, he controlled himself, bringing his hand gently atop her knee.

"Talk to me, Ichigo," He urged her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"It's… Hiro… I tried to talk to him about it, even though I said we shouldn't. But it went all wrong. He… I… These feelings, Goro, I don't know what to do with them," She was beginning to choke up, and he could see the tears begin to well up in the corner of her eyes as he digested the words she said, ignoring the painful feeling that was arising within him. "I had a crush on him, Goro. For all these years, for so long, I've crushed on him. I… I… I loved him."

She was crying now, and Goro looked to the starry sky that stared down upon them, hoping for support. He took a deep breath before wrapping his arm around Ichigo, shaking her slightly.

"I know you do. I'm pretty sure everyone knew," Goro murmured, the softness in his voice threatening to crack by the sheer pain that was wracking against his heart. It was obvious. He had accepted it so long ago, that she loved him. But to hear it out loud…

"I'm so selfish," Ichigo whispered, her body shaking against Goro's. "When Hiro talks about the other girl, his voice gets so passionate, and the look in his eyes… I… I'm _jealous_. Did I want to get the girl away from Hiro because I was jealous? Is that how messed up I am?"

"Don't say that. You're not selfish," His voice was sharp as he responded to the sobbing girl, his arm wrapping even tighter against her. "You wanted to get her away because you _cared_. Just like how you care about everyone. Ichigo, you're one of the most selfless people I know. You tried to tell him because you cared about him, not about yourself."

"But he still didn't listen," Her voice was quiet, like she had given up.

"We still have to try though, right? Hiro's one of our closest friends. We have to keep trying, for him, right?" Goro shook her a bit, trying to get his message through to her.

Silence befell the two, and Ichigo finally looked up to him, her eyes a shimmering green as she suddenly stood up, a spark of determination lighting up those beautiful orbs of hers.

"You're right, Goro," Her voice was still shaky, like she was uncertain, but she held herself high. "We have to keep going, for Hiro. I don't know exactly what's going on, but we have to figure out, so we can keep Hiro safe."

"That's the spirit," Goro offered her a wide grin as he stood up alongside her, transfixed by the pure strength she was showing. It's how she always was. She got knocked down, but always made sure she got up, stronger than before. It was a powerful trait, one Goro greatly admired. It was one of the many reasons that he loved her.

"Thanks, Goro," Her eyes flashed with appreciation, and the smile that fell atop her lips, her very body illuminated by the moonlight, held Goro in a tight fashion, and he couldn't help but admire the girl that stood before her.

He'd have to give Hiro a piece of his mind later for hurting this beautiful girl.

* * *

_"Ichigo, what's wrong?"_

_ …_

_ "Goro… I know that name, Zero Two. It was the one thing he asked me to remember. It was also the one thing they told me to never tell him."_

_ …_

_ "What… Wait… Who's they?"_

_ …_

_ "Hiro's parents."_

_…_

_ "Why did they say to never tell him?"_

_ …_

_ "Because… Because she's dangerous. They told me that if she ever came around, make sure Hiro stays safe."_

**The Duke's Troubles**

* * *

**Author's Note: **This one took a bit longer to get out, sorry guys! I just had to redo a lot of things about the story, and redefine what exactly I was trying to get done. Anyways, thanks you all for the reviews that have been submitted, I appreciate everyone that takes their time out of their day to leave their opinion. I hope you guys enjoyed, see you soon with another chapter!


	8. 08

**08**

**The endless paths. The labyrinth. It was hopeless.**

**Breath. Running out. It was right**

**BEHIND**

Fire. Often perceived as the fuel for life, the gift that God bestowed upon humanity to allow its continued survival. Perhaps it was the inconsistency of its movement, snapping back and forth like a coiled snake, ready to strike at all that come near. The way it threatened to flicker out, only to explode to even greater lengths than before, ensuring its own existence.

Whatever the case, Zero Two found herself entranced by the fire that raged throughout the open casket, the corpse that lay inside slowly being converted to grainy ashes. Next to her were the other Nines, notably Alpha, who leaned against a chair. In front of the casket was Papa. The man wore a long white luxurious jacket adorned with shining golden edged plates, black jeans finishing hit outfit. A stern look sat atop his face, scarred with a long strip vertical down his cheek. Dark eyes stared emotionlessly at the flames; his orbs lit by a slight hue of purple.

A cigarette hung loosely from Papa's mouth as he turned to the other Nines, which lead to them all snapping to attention. Zero Two let her eyes lazily wander to Papa, making sure she was emanating with disinterest. She didn't want to be here. She'd much rather be doing something else, perhaps even seeing her fake darling, which she had decided was allowed for now. Her heart still believed that her fake darling was truly her real darling, despite the lack of remembrance coming from him. Yet, rationale proved it to be false every time, but since when did Zero Two listen to rationale?

However, instead she had been called to this location by Papa, which was a rare occurrence. Meaning this must be important. However, since getting here, she had just watched this body burn, and she was quite bored, to say the least.

"We lost another one," Papa's voice was gruff as he spoke, a hardened tone in it as he gestured to the casket that lay behind him. "Gorilla. One of my more trusted councilmen."

"I'm sorry, Papa," Alpha's voice rang out, clear sorrow audible as Zero Two found herself cringing at his action. They hadn't even known the man. How could any of the Nines be sorry? As if sharing the sentiment, Papa waved his hand at the blond-haired boy, dismissing his words.

"His life doesn't matter. He was just fodder in the grand scheme of our plan," Papa let out the smoke that had piled in his throat, tossing the cigarette into the fire. "No, I didn't bring you all here today to mourn this man's death."

Zero Two felt a slight spark of interest form inside her as she gave Papa a curious glance. The other Nines murmured amongst themselves until Alpha finally spoke up.

"Is it time, Papa?" Alpha asked, his voice brimming with an excitement that Zero Two wanted to choke out of him. The incessant enthusiasm the boy showed towards doing _anything_ involved with Papa was disgusting to see.

"Yes. It is time," Papa finally responded, determination bursting out of him as he looked at Zero Two, who frowned at him in response. "The plan has been culminating upon this one moment for years. It is time, children, to take back what is ours."

"What do you mean?" Beta chimed in, his voice uncertain. His hair was a light blue that fell over one of his light grey eyes. He was a tall lanky boy, with frighteningly fast movements.

"We take back the Gran Crevasse," Papa responded, his words bringing an obvious reaction from everyone. Even Zero Two found herself raising an eyebrow, before scowling as she found herself interested.

"How do you suggest we do that?" Zero Two nearly snarled at the man, lazily checking out her nails. She wasn't in the most pleasant of moods, and being near Papa multiplied her negativity.

"You don't need to worry about the specifications, Iota," Papa said, using the nickname that she hated so much. She gave the man a glare that could freeze death itself, however, Papa just ignored it. "All you need to know is that we'll be needing you soon, Iota."

"And what if I don't want to?" She challenged, her voice dangerously edging onto truth. By all means, she could just refuse to do anything he willed upon her. It was her call, and she found herself leaning to it.

Papa's eyes flashed with anger, a sight that Zero found herself amused to see. The usually calm and collected man, getting so worked up by her simple question. However, the flash went away just as quickly, leaving behind a controlled glow of calm.

"It would be in your favor to do so," Papa said slowly, a cocky grin falling upon his lips, a sight that made Zero Two all the more suspicious. "After all, if you don't, I doubt you'll ever see your darling."

Immediately rage flew throughout the girl, the blood pumping throughout as she stood up, her eyes dangerously glowing a slight red hue as she glared daggers at Papa. To dare threaten _her _darling, it brought an immediate flurry of anger throughout her.

"That wasn't the deal," Zero Two's voice was controlled, a dangerous undertone revealing itself as she took all it could in her to maintain her fury.

"I know. But I've changed the deal," Papa said, scoffing as he spoke. "Instead of killing the Klax, all you have to do is this last thing for us. Once done, you will be free to go, and you can see your darling. It's better this way, yes?"

They both stood their ground, ending with Zero Two scoffing as she sat back down, turning her head to the side. She had to admit the terms sounded better, yet she couldn't put down the sneaking suspicion that there was something else to this. Knowing Papa, there was certainly something else to this.

"Papa, what is our mission then?" Alpha spoke up as the confrontation ended, a disgusting loyalty so clear in his voice it made Zero Two want to hurl.

"For now, nothing. Alpha, continue what I told you to do. Everyone else, be on standby. Everything will be falling in place soon," Papa said, his voice trailing off as he turned back to the fire. "The Klax will finally be eliminated."

Zero Two even found herself subtly nodding, the one sentiment that she could agree with. The Klax would finally be gone. Yet, it was a strange reality to consider, given that she had lived her whole life in constant hunt for them.

A different prospect to consider was the sudden proximity she was of her goal. To be freed and with her darling, that was what she had been working for. With the sudden change, she was now able within touching distance of it. An excitement ran throughout her body, her blood fueled with a newfound energy as her heart began to beat in elation.

She couldn't wait to see her darling. To see how he grew up, to see if he was still the same, to be with him, to be… human. To be normal. To live a regular life. All she had to do was find her darling, then it would all end well.

A sudden lurch in her stomach appeared as the back of her mind prompted forwards a question. What about fake darling? She bit her lip slightly as she thought about the boy, and even her heart began to be conflicted. Fake darling was so so so good, the way he spoke, the way he tasted, everything about him lit a fire in her that took every cell in her body to control. The way he texted her all the time, the way he checked up on her to make sure she was fine, the way he pushed her, taking her to his house despite her words.

But he also wasn't her real darling. The promise she had made rang out in her mind, and she shook her head, unable to decide. She would have to find closure on this topic, and fast too.

* * *

On weekends, teenagers normally found themselves doing fun things, like hanging out with their friends or going to parties. However, Hiro wasn't a normal teenager. He had to find answers, and to do such, it might mean sacrificing a few things. Such was his thoughts as he entered the broad complex building, a quiet area that was anything but abandoned.

The library.

The internet served no use in his search for answers, so he decided perhaps it was time to take a dig at one of the more ancient tools, the newspaper. The library contained a copy of each local paper, dating back to times before Hiro's ancestors were even born. Hopefully, one record might have some information about his parent's deaths. Or any information for that matter.

As he made his way to the front desk, a book caught his eye, strangely enough. It laid in the corner, behind a shelf, as if it had been forgotten. He walked over to it, gently picking up the thin book. It was a picture book, and Hiro found himself furrowing his eyebrows. It was simply named The Beast and the Prince, a strange twist perhaps reversing the roles of the Beauty and the Beast. However, recognition flowed through him, and he wondered where exactly it was coming from. He had never heard of the book, nor read it. Yet, holding it in his hand, it felt familiar, and he felt something pang in the back of his head. He turned it back and forth, examining the cover.

He flipped the book open, his curiosity brimming as he turned to the first page. He slightly gasped, looking at the beautiful scene displayed before him. A girl with long, broad wings sat before a colorfully sprawled sun. Another pang rang through his head as his eyes locked to the words.

Static. Bursts of static exploded in his head, a familiar situation, and he gasped for breath as he felt his knees buckle beneath him, his eyes quickly coming to a close as the pain overtook him.

_**In the deepest, darkest part of a forest lived a tribe, hidden from all.**_

Darkness. It was cold, and the tangy smell of blood forced him awake, his eyes fluttering as he came to. Unknowing of where he was, he tried to get up, only to be pulled back by ropes, holding him against the wall. He struggled, to no avail, his cries for help being tossed to the side. He was alone.

It was a cell, and he coughed, spitting out a spray of blood that splashed against the floor. He felt awful, and his stomach craved for food.

_**Among them was their princess, who had huge, ashen wings.**_

And in the dark, suddenly, a voice, a feminine sounding one. Small, scared, but hopeful. He looked to it, desperate, a silhouette in the shadows of the room, a hand reaching out to him. The only part of her not completely black was her hand, being of a creamy white skin, trembling. It came closer and closer.

_**And on her sixteenth birthday, the princess took flight to the world beyond the forest.**_

Escape. The night let them run. The streets stretched out before them, and he took the lead, holding a soft hand in his own, telling her it would be safe, they were okay now, they were going to be safe. Into the open world, together.

The silhouette nodded, hanging onto his every word. Together, they ran out into the open expanse, ready to face any challenge, filled with a brimming excitement that held the two to their hopeless venture.

_**The princess hid in the bushes and stared at the young man, and for the first time, love bloomed in her heart.**_

They ran back to the dark, hiding in its hug. Their laughs hid their utter exhaustion, and out came a book, and an encouraging nod to read it. Reading, learning, being together. Words flowed out of his mouth, and he spoke to the silhouette, a beaming sound that seemed to uncover the blanket of night before them.

"-forever, too. And then, I'll be your da-"

_**A beast and a human could never be together.**_

Gunshots. Loud, they exploded the night away. A final plea, a desperation. A run back into the hold of death, a final attempt to save _her_. Brutal pain, and finally, release.

_**I want to live as a human.**_

"Are you okay, dear?"

Hiro gasped as he was pulled back into reality, his eyelids fluttering rapidly as he snapped awake, clutching at his lively heart. He was on the floor, the book tight against his chest as he looked at his surroundings, gathering everything in. Before him was a grandma, short, frail, white hair that fell gently to her shoulders. Worried brown eyes stared caringly at Hiro, and he finally nodded to her.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay, I'm okay," Hiro repeated himself, his voice sounding breathless as he spoke. What was that? What had just happened? What were those images in his head? The pangs slowly dissipated, leaving his mind in disarray.

"Are you sure? The way you were lying on the floor, I was on the verge of having my own heart attack!" The woman joked slightly, though the worry was still present as day in her eyes. "Perhaps it'd be best if you sat down for a bit and collected yourself."

Hiro nodded, picking himself up and going to a nearby chair, sitting himself down. He gave another glance at the book, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at it. Why had the book caused such a vivid reaction to him?

"Oh, that's the book I was looking for!" The woman suddenly exclaimed, and Hiro gave her a blank glance, before finally understanding her words.

"Oh, you were? Here, you can have it, I was just looking," Hiro said, thrusting the book her way as the woman gratefully accepted it.

"Yes, though I wasn't planning on checking it out. You see, I'm the librarian here," The woman explained, a warm smile atop her face as she looked at Hiro. "And there's this one girl that has always come here since a very young age, always asking for this book. Even to this day, as a teenager, she comes here specifically for this book. I've begun to just keep it hidden so I can give it to her when she comes, however, I must have displaced it."

"I see," Was all Hiro could muster, his mind stuck on those visions. Who was that silhouetted figure? "Well, I'm glad I could find it for you."

"Indeed," The old lady mumbled, her eyes brimming with an uncertain curiosity as she stared at Hiro. "Perhaps you're the one she speaks of…"

"Hmm?" Hiro perked up, not catching exactly what she said. The woman blinked at him, before laughing and waving her hand at him.

"Oh, it's nothing, just old lady talk. Anyways, did you come here for something?" She asked, getting up from the chair across from him. Hiro nodded enthusiastically, realizing what he had come here for.

"Yeah, I had. Could you tell me where all the newspaper records are?" He asked, and the woman nodded, gesturing for him to follow. Hiro accepted, and off they went towards the back end of the library.

His hands tingled as he walked, as if yearning for that soft feeling that had been so vivid in those visions. His mind still hurt, and he furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to think about it all. He had never seen anything like that. Perhaps it was some weird fever dream triggered by the book, but he had a hunch that there was much more to it. Yet, without the book, he wouldn't be able to experience those images again, could he? His eyes wandered to the book in the old woman's hand, and he bit his lip slightly as he pondered on whether he should ask her for the book in hopes that he could trigger those visuals again.

"And here we are!" The woman suddenly announced, and Hiro looked up to an old, dusty area with one large shelf, stacked with multiple light brown boxes containing thousands of newspapers each.

"E-Eh? Is there even a filing system?!" Hiro asked, his eyes wide as he looked at the monstrous amount of newspapers before him.

"Nope!" The woman gleefully announced, giving him an amused grin as she walked away. "Good luck!"

Hiro gulped, looking back at the woman who rapidly disappeared into the complex array of shelves that made the library. Now alone, his mind wandered back to the images that had burned themselves into his mind. What were those? He had been in a cell, chained, and that voice… It was startlingly familiar. But it didn't make any sense. If those were memories, what were they about?

He considered what Dr Frank had told him, that he had been in a coma, thus forgetting what had happened to him during two months of his life. Could it be possible that…?

He wasn't sure. If those memories were from back then, they still didn't make any sense. Why would he ever have been chained up, throwing up blood and the like? His mind began to hurt from all the stress, and he decided he would reserve the thoughts for another time.

Sighing, he wiped his hands on his pants before reaching up for the closest box, setting it down on the table next to him. He coughed at the spray of dust that exploded into the air, and he hastily grabbed for a newspaper, eyes scanning for a date.

December 30th, 2012. 7 years before he was even born. Scowling, he put the newspaper back and returned the box to its shelf, going down the row a bit before grabbing another box. Pulling it down, he took another newspaper. October 21st, 2014. He continued the process, not finding anything notable, going from newspaper to newspaper.

Eventually, he decided it was time for a break, taking a breather as he sat down at the table. He lazily pulled out his phone, noticing Zero Two had sent him a text.

**Darling! Meet me somewhere! – Zero Two**

He read it fondly, shaking his head at her vagueness. He quickly typed back.

**Sure, where do you want to meet? – Hiro**

Putting his phone back away, he got up despite the short break. If he were to meet Zero Two, that meant his time here would be shorter than he thought, and Hiro was determined to find something of use before he left. Going to the very end of the shelf, he grabbed for a box, setting it against the table and taking a newspaper.

November 13th, 2015. Another useless date. He was hoping to find the accident report for his parent's death, not some useless stuff from the past. Scowling, he prepared to put it away, before something caught his eye. He gazed down at the newspaper, reading the headline.

**Project Apus Announced!**

The title wasn't of anything to note, however he had heard of it before, unable to discern quite when or where he had heard the name. No, it was the picture that accompanied the title. A large man stood, wearing a long white jacket with golden adornments. However, the woman next to him… Hiro's mother. He glanced down at the caption to make sure, and it indeed stated that it was Arya Strell. He quickly scanned the newspaper, frowning. He remembered his mother had been part of some project before he had been born, that's why they had moved here. However, he had never learned details, or bothered to learn them anyways.

He kept reading, trying to find any useful information. Project Apus… Lead by… Chris Virm? He had never heard the name before, and he looked back up to the caption for the picture. It indicated that Chris Virm was… The tall man next to his mother. Strange. He looked back to the content, hoping for more clues. Project Apus is a construction project to create a new sector of the city. It was supposedly to be called Cerasus, which Hiro thought was strangely fantasy-like. Ignoring the weird name, he kept reading, however, he was unable to find anything else relevant.

He put the newspaper away after flipping through the rest of the pages. Though it didn't offer much towards uncovering his parents' deaths, it did give him a hint. Chris Virm had known his mother. Which meant… Perhaps he knew what had happened? Which meant he had to find Chris Virm, and maybe he might be able to tell Hiro exactly what he needed to know. Taking his phone back out, he smiled as he saw the text message from Zero Two.

**In the building where we first kissed – Zero Two**

Of course, this message was sent with a kissing emoji attached, and Hiro quickly responded saying he'd be there as soon as possible. Smiling, he made his way out of the library, planning to meet the pink-haired beauty, trying to block out the part of his mind hoping for a kiss. They'd just be hanging out, despite the previous events that might have transpired on that rooftop.

* * *

"Yes, we're in the house, Papa," Alpha reported, lazily lying back on the couch that was in Hiro's house. It was nice, a very expensive material that complimented well with the ambience. In fact, the whole house was extremely nice, and Alpha found himself nicely comfortable in the area. "The squadron is searching, so they should report to me if it has been found."

"And Hiro? What if he happens to come around?" Papa asked, and Alpha laughed.

"We have surveillance in the broad area around the house. If he were to come, we would be alerted in enough time to leave in a quick fashion," Alpha reassured Papa, looking at the TV that sat before him. He leaned for the remote, turning it on and admiring the HD quality. "So, we should be safe."

"I see. Well, Alpha, make sure the mission goes well. We must make sure that this goes perfectly," Papa warned, before the clicking noise that indicated the end of the call snapped. Alpha just yawned, leaning further into the couch as he flipped through the channels. Sports? Meh. Perhaps some reality TV would do.

Switching onto the perfect channel, Alpha decided perhaps some snacks would do. Maybe even just a simple glass of milk. Hopefully Hiro kept around chocolate milk, or Alpha would have a big problem with the boy. Wandering over to the kitchen, he admired the luxurious material that the countertop was made of, dragging his hand across it. Truly a rich house.

Opening the refrigerator, he gleefully took the chocolate milk, pouring it into a nice glass Hiro kept around in a cabinet. He greedily gulped it down, admiring the rich texture. His eyes glanced towards the pantry, and Alpha decided chips would just make this the perfect afternoon. Maybe Hiro kept around cookies too, now that would really make this just amazing.

**BANG!**

Alpha dropped what he was doing, rolling to the ground against the wall as he immediately reached for his gun, flipping it into his hand as he readied the firearm.

**BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Multiple shots rang out through the house, and Alpha could tell it came from upstairs. Immediately, his remaining squadron appeared at the first floor, coming out from the various rooms they had been searching for. Alpha motioned for them to go up the stairs and to investigate, cautiously maintaining his guard as he too followed behind his men.

**BANG!**

The man that had been leading the way up fell, blood falling all over the nice floor as he collapsed from the stairs to the ground. Alpha immediately shot warning shots back into the room where it had come from, keeping to the floor as he held a defensive position. His men also held position, and they stared cautiously at the room.

Alpha wasn't sure how many there exactly were, but he was certain that this must be a Klax counterattack. Which meant they had been spotted.

* * *

Hiro couldn't help but stare at the beauty that stood before him. Zero Two had her hair in a long ponytail, leaving two strands on their own to fall down the side of her face. She wore her standard attire, the red and black skirt and the white shirt finished with a loose red and black jacket. Perhaps it was that it had been a while since they had met, though in reality it had just been about a week or so.

"Quit staring," The girl teased, an easygoing smile bouncing on her lips as she made her way to Hiro, grabbing his hand as she pulled him out of the building. "We're going somewhere."

Hiro stumbled after her, catching his balance as he began to walk alongside her. "Why'd you ask me to meet you here then?"

"Well, it's closer to here that's why," Zero Two explained, giving him a side glance as an amused smile rose on her face. "Why? Were you hoping for a redo of last time?"

"Pfft. No," Hiro said, suddenly noticing how interesting the sky was as he looked up, feeling a splash of pink rise to his cheeks. "I was just wondering, that's all."

"Mmhmm. I'm sure," Zero Two teased, making a sudden noise as she scrambled to reach into her pockets, causing Hiro to curiously look back down. She pulled out two spherical lollipops, handing him one generously. "Here, I brought them just for us."

Hiro took it gratefully, getting rid of the wrapper before popping it into his mouth. Immediately he cringed at the tangy sweetness that exploded into his mouth, and he pulled it back out, wincing as his teeth whined.

"What flavor is that?" He asked weakly, giving Zero Two a glance as she easily sucked on it.

"Tropical creamy citrus caramel mix," Zero Two simply said, giving him an alluring smile that danced on her lips as she finished. "Extra sweet."

"I see," Hiro tactfully said, hesitatingly putting the candy back into his mouth.

* * *

Leven paused against the wall, holding the pistol in hand as he waited at the door. He hadn't expected that the Franxx would already try and invade the Strell household, but one could never expect what the Franxx were going to be up to. He had been maintaining his patrol when he suddenly noticed a movement inside the home, and he went to investigate. He had jumped through Hiro's window, entering his room and immediately shot at the man that had been in the room along with five other men that he had sights on from the room. Even with all that he was in an extremely bad situation. Not only was the more elite squadron inside the house, there was also one of the Nines.

And if he wasn't mistaken, it was Nine Alpha. Probably the most dangerous of them all, bar Zero Two. He had called for reinforcements, but the shortest he could expect actual help would be a long time, as, apparently, they had also begun a sneak attack on the Gran Crevasse's first outpost.

It was clearly planned, and Leven was sure that Papa had this all charted out way before it was executed. Meaning that Leven was alone in this defense. He hastily checked for all the equipment he had on hand. Barely enough. If he were to get out of here alive, it would require some heroism, and a lot of miracles.

He glanced at the dead body that slumped against Hiro's closet door, mostly inspecting the various equipment he had on hand. Namely: the smoke grenade. However, to get to the body meant he had to cross the door, which was wide open. To do such was really a suicide mission, as he knew every gun in the house was aimed at the door. However, he was a sitting duck in here too. Both ensured his death.

His eyes scanned the room, hoping Hiro had anything that could help him in the situation. Of course, being just a teenager, the boy wouldn't have much, meaning that Leven would have to innovate. His eyes landed on two rolling chairs that sat, and his mind races at the possibilities.

Immediately, he grabbed one of them, rolling them slowly across the doorway. It crossed safely, being unharmed. The gunmen outside were smart enough to not waste their bullets on such bait, and Level smiled as he grabbed the second chair. He sat in it, curling himself to be as small as possible, where he then rolled himself across the room, keeping the back to the door.

He tensed, waiting for impact. Instead, he was allowed safe travel, and he found himself on the other side of the room. Letting out a deep sigh of relief, he got off the chair, crawling over to the corpse. He felt the body down, grabbing all the utilities, including the man's gun, a Galil. The old reliable gun that he was fond of, having used it in a multitude of situations. He held the gun, admiring its handy grip with nostalgia as he collected the rest of the man's utilities, including the smoke grenade. He unpinned it, letting it roll right out the door.

Smoke bloomed, leaving the upper hallway in a large cloud of smoke. And, just as he was expecting, gunfire did not appear. They were invading Hiro's house; however, it was still a stealth mission, meaning they were attempting to maintain its original state. Spraying wildly around would definitely not help achieve that plan. Now, Leven had a couple of options.

He could run across the smoke into another room, but it was certainly a dangerous venture. No, Leven decided that it was time for a different route. He went to the window he had originally entered from, climbing back down with little noise. He landed silently to the ground, slowly making his way to the front door. Outside, the evening sun was setting, leaving it to the moon to illuminate the world. He stood against the door, hand gripping the Galil tightly.

* * *

"Where are we going, Zero Two?" Hiro asked, curious as they made their way further into the abandoned streets of the city. Night was beginning to fall, and the two still had been walking around, making pleasant conversation as they held hands.

"Don't worry, we're almost there," Zero Two promised, giving him a confident smile as they took another turn. She began to accelerate, and Hiro walked in similar steps to keep up. There were no pedestrians around, and the city was gradually turning darker and dirtier, leaving Hiro to question where exactly she was taking him. The pungent smell of oil began to spread, leaving him to cough uncomfortably.

They turned into an alley this time, and she kept her march until they suddenly stopped. Hiro stared at Zero Two confusedly, who stared back with an expectant gaze clear in those green orbs of hers.

Hiro looked at what was before him. A large green dumpster lay against the wall, and an array of black pipes surrounded the area, making it a tight squeeze. Metal stairs lay further on, and the smell was tinged with a gas-like odor. A slight pang echoed throughout his head as he felt the back of his head begin to whine, a familiar emotion that he distantly remembered had occurred at the library, though he wasn't certain what it was. He looked back at Zero Two uneasily, who's eyes began to dim into a dull green, an unrecognizable emotion haunting them.

"What are we doing here?" Hiro asked, offering her a sheepish smile which Zero Two returned with a scowl, her eyes shifting away from him.

"Never mind," She said, her voice emotionless as she began to walk out of the alley. Hiro frowned at her sudden attitude change, grabbing for her hand, stopping her movement. Why was she acting like this all of a sudden? Had he done something wrong?

"Hey, answer me," Hiro held onto her, staring strongly into the daggers that Zero Two was throwing his way with her eyes.

"Drop it," She growled, her eyes threatening him with a dangerous hue of red as she shook his hand off hers. "You're obviously not…"

"Not what?" He prompted her further, trying to figure out what exactly she was getting at as his eyebrows furrowed deeper.

"I said. Drop. It." Her voice was stern, complete with a dangerous undertone that indicated perhaps it really was finally time to drop the topic. "Don't worry about it, Hiro. I shouldn't have expected as much from you."

Hiro. She hadn't called him that in a while, and to hear her use his actual name instead of the pet name brought a strange feeling to his heart as he bit his lip slightly, uncertain of what to do.

"No," Hiro said bluntly, an edge in his voice as he continued. "I said I would stick around to figure you out, which means this is a part of it. So, tell me."

Her eyes stared at his, hard with sparks of anger glimmering off of them. Yet, Hiro knew he had to continue, despite all the yells of danger his mind screamed. He wouldn't step down this time, no. He had to be strong now, to find his parents and figure her out. She gritted her teeth, scoffing as she looked away, giving Hiro the triumph.

"It has nothing to do with you," She snarled, clearly not wanting to talk about it, and Hiro hesitated, unsure of how much he should push her. He wanted her to talk to him, to be able to connect with her. He opened his mouth, ready to speak, to ask her to tell him anyways.

"I kept my promise, to come back," A strange sensation took control of his throat, choking him as instead different words than he had planned to say flowed out from his mouth. It was like he had been taken control of for a second, and he was suddenly released, coughing as he caught himself. Pangs of static echoed throughout his head, and he grit his teeth to keep himself in check, looking up at Zero Two.

She stood there, shock clearly in those green eyes. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, her eyes wavering with an unknown emotion. The pangs began to ring louder in Hiro's head, and he struggled to stay conscious, his knees threatening to topple at any second. He was losing himself. In front of him, tears began to fall down Zero Two's cheeks, plaguing the beautiful face of hers.

* * *

It had been two minutes since the smoke grenade popped, and Alpha was beginning to get bored. He thought about sending his men just to rush down the door, but the precision accuracy that had shot down his men warned him against such. Clearly, Alpha was against tougher competition here, at least a Lehmann-class or higher.

However, his patience was beingly clearly tested, and Alpha was on a losing battle here. He raised his hand, ready to gesture for a command when the door suddenly flew open. Bullets sprayed into the air, and Alpha immediately rolled to the ground, finding cover behind a recliner as four of his remaining seven men were instantly shot down, their heads exploding into a spray of blood. His shoulder ached at the sudden contact with the ground, but Alpha ignored the sensation, instead looking up from his position. Two men shot back, but were quickly dealt with, leaving Alpha with only one grunt left. At the door stood a large Klax, holding an assault rifle.

Alpha took shots, well-aimed. They shot through the air, reaching touching distance to his target. However, the Klax moved out of the way just in time, jumping for cover. Alpha followed his body, spraying bullets as he saw one connect onto the man's leg with an explosion of blood. Even with the injury, the man made his way behind the couch, lifting his gun as he sprayed back at Alpha. The boy fell back down behind the recliner, reloading his pistol quickly.

Cursing, Alpha maintained his position behind the recliner, tightening his grip against his pistol. This was certainly a threat, indicating his assumption of a Lehmann-class at least was correct. His final grunt stood behind a wall, his eyes trained on Alpha.

It was a difficult situation. He wasn't able to look without being in risk of death. He would have to use his remaining grunt as bait. Giving him the hand signal, he motioned for him to move, indicating he would go up at the same time. Of course, it was a slight lie, as Alpha planned on rising just a second after, allowing him the time to get his own shot off.

The grunt nodded in response, clutching his standard Galil as he suddenly appeared out, spraying his gun wildly. Alpha immediately rose, raising his pistol as his eyes caught his target.

Indeed, the man that stood before him was a Lehmann-class or higher. Of great stature, the clear indication of concentration and power emanated out of him, and his raised Galil immediately shot into the head of the last grunt. What Alpha had not planned for was the closeness of the man. In fact, with them being so close, just about 10 feet apart, it was clear he knew the man. Leven.

Pistol raised, Alpha shot, his aim true at the head. However, Leven was faster, and turned his shoulder into the shot, the bullet entering cleanly as Leven rushed at Alpha, allowing him the chance for a second shot. Another perfectly aimed shot that was turned into a mere arm wound as Leven raised his hand into it, before barreling right into Alpha.

They struggled on the ground, and Leven gained control of the pistol, tossing it away. Alpha was a surprisingly strong boy, but to say he was anywhere near the level of pure physical capability as Leven was an utter falsehood. Leven had him in a lock in an instant, locking his wrists onto the ground as Leven gasped for breath, blood pouring down both his arms.

* * *

"What did you just say?" Zero Two whispered out, her words being carried by the late autumn winds. She was beginning to shake, wanting to hear those words one more time. Her heart shook, and every fiber in her being screamed one word. Darling. Darling. Darling.

"I-I don't know," The boy in front of her stammered, his blue eyes dimming with an uncertainty. She barely heard his words, his voice quiet as he seemed to stagger back onto the wall, his breathing erratic.

"Darling?" Her words were a gentle breeze in the night, and she found herself closing in on the boy who leaned against the wall for support. She ignored his struggle, the conflict so clearly shown in his eyes. She latched onto his forearms, holding him in place as she closed in, breathing in his scent.

It was exactly like… Darling. Her heartbeat accelerated, the wild beast in her ripping its way forwards as she reveled in his scent, the way she could feel his heart wildly beating away right against hers. She couldn't stop herself. The way he smelled, it fueled her, and she leaned in, yearning for his taste. She wanted to know, she had to make sure this was darling. If he tasted like darling, then…

She licked right at his neck, shivering as the taste exploded in her mouth, just like… Darling. Her inner beast roared, she wanted more. _More_. The taste burned in her mouth, and she seared it in her memory, making sure she captured it for eternal use. It was _hers_. She was surrounded by his smell, his taste, his everything. She wanted all of him. A fire burned in her blood, and it wouldn't be extinguished until she got just what she wanted. His tantalizing skin was right before her, a buffet for her to delve into.

She looked up to his face, not noticing the pain that was reflecting off those electrifying eyes. She instead focused on his lips, those soft mounds of flesh that called her name. She wanted contact. She wanted him. She wanted her darling.

"Kiss me," Her voice was hot against his skin, and she could feel the way he shivered from the heat. He was right in her trap, and she was the hunter, ready to feast. Inching ever closer, her eyes focused on the prize. She wanted him so badly, she couldn't even think properly, all she could feel was the fire that pushed her forwards, her lips so agonizingly close to his, the softness, the heat of his breath right against hers. It tingled against her, and she craved his warmth, the touch of his lips.

Their lips brushed, and she wanted to push herself forward, to just leap onto him and suck everything out of him. But she relished the slow process, the way she could feel every nerve gradually be able to touch against his, the hitches of breath coming from him, the instability of it all. It was her darling, it was all hers. He finally came back, and they could be together till they _died_.

Her canines stretched forwards, gently touching his sensitive lips, an action that brought another shiver in him, one Zero Two found absolutely delicious. She wanted to devour the boy, make her mark and claim him, finally be able to take her darling, make him all hers. Nobody but them. His lips were right against hers, and she was so close, ready to press herself right against it, to stake her claim, to take her darling, finally, after all these years, to _revel_ in his presence-

A sound. A sound escaped from the lips of her prey, a choked noise that sounded awfully like the last cries of a dying animal, caught in the jaws of its predator, filled with pain. She growled, wanting him to be quiet, to just enjoy the moment like hers. Her eyes flicked upwards to his, where she finally saw it.

Fear. It was just a hint of it, behind the ever-apparent thunderstorm of conflict that plagued those ocean blue eyes of his, but she saw it. Fear. Filled with uncertainty. Those blue eyes wandered down to her, as if the movement itself was a struggle, and a plea was clear in them. Help.

She looked down at her hands, which were still latched onto his forearms. She flinched as she saw her nails digging right through his skin, blood flooding down his arms, a horrifying sight. She stumbled backwards, her back hitting the wall opposite of him as she locked her eyes to his arms, the blood dripping down as he leaned back into the wall for more support.

What was she doing? Just like that, everything in her died, and she was left with the cold sensation of realization. Her eyes locked onto his, and she saw everything in him exposed to her. His words from earlier echoed in her brain, the ones she had largely ignored.

_"I-I don't know,"_

Had she been imagining everything? A cold grasp took her heart, squeezing it. This wasn't her darling. Regret flooded throughout her as she gazed at those bloody arms that lay to the side. But why had he said those words, the words that sparked everything in her. The promise.

And then she realized. Life was a cruel bitch. She must have imagined everything he had said, only to self-impose her desires onto him, to finally be reunited with her real darling. She just wanted him so badly, her real darling, to be reunited, to finally be able to leave everything else behind. Except this wasn't her real darling.

"I-I… I'm…" Zero Two choked on her words, tears silently rolling down her face as she gazed at the poor boy, his blue eyes darkening, as if being sapped of life. She wanted to say sorry, but her sobs blocked her, realizing what exactly she had done. This was never her darling.

She ran, her legs taking control as she dashed out of the alley, not sure where she would go. Words called for her, but she ignored them, tightening her eyes as she escaped. Out into the open expanse of the night she ran, hoping for someone to get her, her sobs a desperate cry for her real darling. But she was alone. Always alone. Seared onto her memory was the image of him leaning back on the wall, his arms a bloody mess. _She_ had done that to him.

She was a monster.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Leven snarled, and Alpha found himself smiling despite the situation. A trait of his, one he took great pride in. His utter confidence, even in the worst of circumstances. The man had him locked to the floor, and his tight grasp against Alpha's wrist was uncomfortable, to say the least.

"I was just exploring. Why, what are you doing here?" Alpha taunted, gasping in pain as Leven smashed his knee right into his sensitive area. Alpha found the tangy taste of blood flooding his mouth, spreading from the aggressive bite he had taken upon his tongue. He gritted his teeth, angered slightly at the man's rough attitude. But Alpha wasn't worried. He still had everything in perfect control.

"Tell me," Leven growled, and his voice gave off a dangerous tone, saying this was Alpha's last chance. Of course, if it was, perhaps Alpha would have spoken. However, another thing Alpha prided himself on was his trickiness. And he knew how to get out of every situation.

Giving off a cocky grin, Alpha decided to play a bit more.

"You see, we were looking for Hiro. We're trying to finish the job we stared all those years ago with his parents," Alpha could feel the rage fill Leven, and he quickly took the opportunity. One of his handier gadgets was one he had picked up from a video game he had played so long ago, and he clicked to the side of his shoe, expanding a blade from the toe of his shoe. It shined menacingly in the harsh light of the room, glinting with malintent.

"Why, you little bitch!" Leven raised one hand, readying his pistol. The sound of its chamber being locked into place echoed the house, a sound that might have enticed fear in anyone else's house. Alpha wasn't anyone else. Alpha just smiled as he slammed his foot upwards, right into the man's back.

_Schlllk._

Leven's eyes widened as the blade stabbed right into his back, and Alpha took no time hesitating. He immediately pushed upwards, using his momentum to grab his holstered pistol, flipping in hand as the weight of the two men switched. While Alpha was certainly cocky, he was no fool, and he didn't take unnecessary risks. He had to get rid of Leven, now.

**BANG!**

Silence held the room, as Leven's hands slowly fell to the ground, blood pooling across the floor. A perfectly aimed shot ripped through the man's skull, leaving a gaping hole right through his forehead, where blood quickly seeped out alongside the remains of his brain. Alpha lowered the gun, looking as the Klax's eyes slowly dimmed out of life, and he pulled the blade out of the man's back, which let the corpse slump completely to the floor, a wet sound splashing on the floor.

Alpha grimaced as he looked at the bloody blade atop his foot, though a bit of excitement floored through him. It was the first time he had actually used his secret blade. Happy with himself, Alpha gave one last glance at Leven, quickly picking his phone up to call Papa. He gave a disgusted glance at all the blood that was around the house, and he suddenly thought about how they would be able to clean the mess up. Well, this was certainly unfortunate. Papa wouldn't be very happy about this.

* * *

Hiro slumped to the floor against the alley wall, his head threatening to burst open as pangs of pain rippled throughout his psyche. Why had Zero Two left? What was going on? Why did his head hurt so damn much?

He clutched his head, unsure of what the excruciatingly painful sensation was. His eyes tightened against themselves, and he found himself flashing to glimpse of something. Black began to cover his eyesight, and he found himself begin to lose himself, similar to what had happened earlier in the day. This time, he was able to stay awake as words blurred to life, stretching themselves across his closed eyes. Pictures formed in his head, scenes colorfully sprawled, highlighted in such a way it brought pain to Hiro.

_**No matter how you disguise yourself, you are a beast, and you will consume the prince's life one day.**_

_ "Promise to come back, to stay with me?" _

A voice, ringing out endlessly in his head. A promise. What promise? It echoed, the voice being feminine. He had to keep it, no matter what. The promise.

_**I'm human! I'm human! I'm the same as him now!**_

Struggling, Hiro groaned, wondering what these words etching themselves across his brain were, the burning sensation that powered through every nerve in his body, latching themselves onto every synapse of his system, making sure he felt it everywhere. The words panged, they echoed.

_**I owe my life to you. Please marry me.**_

Suddenly, a warmth. An embrace surrounded him, taking away most of the pain, and Hiro cautiously opened one eye, looking as the world around him spun around, twisting and distorting itself as it threatened to shatter by even the smallest touch. Yet, someone stood so calmly before him, her image blank, clean. A silhouette, the one from his visions earlier. The same black figure, just standing there.

She stretched out her hand, her dark body completely covered by darkness, and Hiro took it hesitantly. He was pulled up by a sudden energy that bounded within him, resurging all his power as it slowly led him onwards, pulling him towards somewhere.

_**The two exchanged rings, and when the priest said so, they sealed their vows with a kiss.**_

It was surreal, this silhouette leading him as Hiro weakly stumbled along. The silhouette was much shorter than him, and his hand drooped low to maintain contact. Yet, every time he felt he was going to drop to the floor and collapse, the silhouette turned towards him, giving him the strength to move on.

Eventually, they made it to the middle of an abandoned park, with the grass overgrown far past a natural state, benches a dirty brown, meddled with as they barely stood up. Cigarette butts littered the floor, and it was clearly in a dying state. Yet, in the middle stood a large tree, an oak. Its leaves threatened to fall, and the oak loomed menacingly over, as if haunting Hiro.

Hiro fell to his knees, recognizing the area. His heart dropped, his stomach grimacing in pain as he mindlessly looked around. Why? Why here? This place, that had been haunting his dreams for so long, keeping its image seared onto his mind. Why? The image before him began flashing back and forth, and he could feel a sudden cold sensation wrap around him, a white color slowly making up the ground, the snow that he had been so used to in his dreams.

He felt water stream down his face, and his hands effortlessly touched at his tears, and the silhouette once again turned to him. It was slowly getting more detailed, and he could see long hair, remaining black like the rest of her figure. She stuck out her hand, and something came into place. Her hand slowly materialized, and he saw creamy white flesh begin to fill her extended hand, wavering as if it was an image in water.

He moved out to touch it, instead his hand slipping right through her. Confused, he looked at the figure, only to see the silhouette begin to flicker, her body distorting into a familiar static-like movement. The black was slowly fading, and he was desperate to keep her here, yet he was unable to move.

"Save me."

Those words came from the silhouette, a soft, female voice that rung with hope. Then she disappeared, flowing away into the wind, and Hiro was left with a sharp pain that stabbed into his mind, pangs of agony rippling throughout his head. Hiro felt all the strength he had left sap out of him, leaving him a crumbling figure as he fell to the floor, collapsing. His hands fell to the floor, his breaths coming to a slow as he lost his consciousness.

_**In profound sadness, the prince searched all across the land for her. But nobody had seen the princess.**_

* * *

"He has yet to appear," Alpha said, his phone stuck to his ear as he patched up his wounds, still in the Strell household. Around him were multiple grunts, even other Nines to assist Alpha. They were busy cleaning up any remnant that would suggest anything had happened.

"Interesting. If the Strell child has yet to appear, then we might be safe yet. I have made sure the police shall not enter the area, so everything should be good," Papa said, his voice clearly tired as he spoke. It had been a long day for the both of them. "Although things got a bit messy, everything seems to have turned out fine, and we have rid ourselves of a formidable threat. Any news on Iota?"

"No, she hasn't responded to anything I've sent," Alpha admitted, tossing himself lazily against the couch. Behind him, multiple men picked up Leven's corpse, dragging it into a body bag. He watched, giving a grimace as he was reminded of their scuffle. "However, she rarely does. I assume she's just sulking around as usual."

"That would be probable," Papa said, his voice coming to a pause before continuing. "However, she will show up soon enough. The real question is, did you find it?"

"No, the Strell family must not have hid it here," Alpha sighed, placing his hand to his forehead. If it wasn't here, Alpha truly had no clue where it might be located. "Which means this whole mission has been a failure thus far."

"I see," Disappointment clearly rang out in Papa's voice, and Alpha grit his teeth. If only he hadn't fucked up so hard with Leven, then it would never have gotten this bad. "It shall be fine. We have successfully taken control of the first outpost, which means our attack on Gran Crevasse is officially beginning."

"I see father. Which means…" Alpha trailed off, his voice suggesting towards what he was thinking. If they were to attack the Gran Crevasse soon, it meant they had to tie up every thread, make sure everything was certain.

The grunts were struggling putting Leven's body into the body bag, given his mass. Alpha looked upon them with disapproval, frowning as he watched the disservice being done to the fighter. Unfortunate he had to die in the way he did.

"Yes," Papa confirmed, his voice firm with a tense tone. A slight pause occurred before he continued. "It means we send Iota on her final mission…"

…

"And that is?"

…

"Kill Hiro Strell."

**The Cavalier's Last Fight**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reading, and thanks for all the support guys. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


	9. 09

**09**

**It was heaven. Everything turned to gold, everything.**

**So much power, so much wealth. Little did he realize,**

**It was actually a living**

**HELL**

It was his second venture out. His pistol laid ready in his backpack, and Mitsuru found himself filled with a newfound determination. He had given his father an awkward goodbye, his father telling him to come back soon, which Mitsuru told him he would.

Despite his efforts to reconcile, it was still difficult. Sudden movements still made him flinch, much to his father's displeasure. They attempted to be a peaceful family, yet a fake air held them, making it awfully plastic. It wasn't real. Yet, Mitsuru knew these pains were the path to recovery, so he endured them, despite the annoyances they provided.

It was about noon, and Mitsuru had just eaten his lunch, when he had decided he would try again. Packing everything, he had left the house, and now he was walking down his neighborhood street, wearing a white hoodie along with black joggers, a lean fit finished with clean white sneakers. His hair was smoothly slicked back, and he walked with a strange confidence, ready to face the challenge that was the abandoned city.

He was sure he wouldn't have to be saved again. He had to prove himself, no matter what. If that meant coming face to face with death again, so be it. Mitsuru had to be _something_. The sound of a pleasant neighborhood surrounded him as he walked alongside the river, his hands casually depositing themselves into his pockets.

It was a nice ambience that made for an even better walk, and Mitsuru found himself oddly smiling, glancing down at the waterside, where ducks swam along with their families, mothers hoarding their ducklings to their side. The previous night it had snowed, surprisingly enough. It was strange for snow to come this early, despite it being in the middle of autumn. On the ground, remnants of the white precipitate spread itself around, melting in the sun's rays.

"Mitsuru?"

The boy in question glanced over to the voice, where Kokoro stood, wearing a simple long dark blue sleeveless jacket, white shirt underneath it with light blue jean shorts to finish her look. Mitsuru had to admit, she did look quite attractive in such attire, and he found himself looking away quickly to contain the rapidly rising fire that threatened to expose his face.

"H-Hi, Kokoro," Mitsuru murmured softly, his hand reaching nervously into his hair. Ever since they had met on that riverside at night, they had a few more interactions during school, usually ending up in these awkward moments of indecision by both. "Whatcha up to?"

"Oh, I was just going to take a nice walk since the weather is so beautiful," Kokoro said, her voice a precious tone that carried itself straight to Mitsuru's awaiting ears. "How about you?"

"I was…" Mitsuru trailed off, unsure if he should speak the truth here. However, he decided there would be no harm in it, deciding to speak again. "I was going to head off towards the more abandoned parts of the city, where the construction was unfinished."

His words drew a reaction from Kokoro, whose light blue eyes brimmed with alarm as she took a step towards Mitsuru.

"Isn't it… Really dangerous over there?" She asked, one eyebrow dipping with worry, an action that Mitsuru found strangely adorable.

"Yeah, but I don't know…" Mitsuru trailed off again, unsure of what he should tell her. "It's like… I know it's dangerous and I could get hurt, or even killed, but it's just..."

He finished his words with a shrug, realizing how stupid his words sounded. There was no way she would get him, with the idiocy that was so visible.

"Yeah, I get it," Kokoro said, to Mitsuru's surprise. "It's the feeling to… Be more than what you are, I guess. To go after things you aren't comfortable with, to find yourself."

Mitsuru remained silent, each word she said bringing even further surprise within him. Her startlingly deep words strung a chord within him, almost matching his own dreams exactly.

"Of course, I could be wrong, and you want to go for other reasons," Kokoro quickly said, blushing as she looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"No, no, you're completely right," Mitsuru said, his mouth slightly agape in awe. "That's actually exactly it."

"R-Really?" Kokoro stammered, turning her rich blue eyes back to Mitsuru, and he found a surprising softness in them, as if they were pulling him in, like a riptide in an ocean. "I kind of feel the same way too…"

A comfortable silence fell on them, something that Mitsuru found strangely pleasurable. Silences between the duo were usually highly awkward, yet the words they both spoke to each other brought about a comfortability that Mitsuru greatly appreciated.

"Well, it's because of all that," Kokoro began, walking closer to Mitsuru's side before standing right beside him. "I've decided I'm going with you too!"

"E-Eh?!" Mitsuru exclaimed, jumping away from her as he shook his hands at her. "N-No way! You can't, it's way too dangerous!"

"Oh yeah? So what if it's dangerous? You're going, right?" Her eyes flashed dangerously as she crossed her arms.

"Well, yeah, but I can't guarantee your safety too!" He explained, shaking his head wildly. No, she could absolutely not go with him. Mitsuru had almost died last time, there was no way he would put Kokoro in that risk too!

"So? You think I need you to keep me safe?" Kokoro challenged, huffing as she turned her head defiantly away from him. "Either you take me, or I go by myself anyways."

Mitsuru found his jaw slamming wide open as she dropped the ultimatum on him, and he knew it was easily leaning to one answer. Sighing, he pushed his hair back further, looking to the blank sky for support.

"Fine," He said, giving in as Kokoro flashed a bright smile. "But, as soon as things get dangerous, we're turning back around and I'm taking you home."

"Alright, that's fine," Kokoro grinned, bounding over to his side excitedly. Mitsuru found himself smiling despite the situation, and he shook his head slightly. But, strangely enough, his heart found itself warming up to her, glad for her presence, and he began to walk, Kokoro to his side.

* * *

Zero Two. The thought popped into his head, and just like that, he was floating. Hiro blinked, his mind a peaceful blank slate as he floated along. Turning his head around, his movements were sluggish, and he quickly realized why. All around him was the deep dark ocean, a perfect hue of blue that held him in place, allowing him to slowly descend downwards into its endless depths.

Even though he could feel the urgency in his thoughts, he felt strangely at peace. It was like all his issues seemed to dissipate, dissolving in the ocean as he was allowed his freedom. The thought of the pink-haired beauty slowly slipped away from his mind, until there was nothing, just him and the endless expanse.

It took quite a while before another question popped into his vacant mind, arriving with a thud as it suddenly asked why he should even care for the pink-haired beauty. Hiro frowned as he considered it, unsure of his answer. Zero Two? Who was she to him anyways? Hadn't he met her just less than a month ago anyways?

Something suddenly pulled at his heart, and he was suddenly hit with the memory of a night sky stretching itself before him, its starry showcase shining down before a girl, who sat atop a rooftop. Her pink hair flowed slightly in the wind, and he felt a pang in his heart. She was lonely.

Zero Two. She was lonely.

…

It didn't make sense though. She was a gang member, she was dangerous. Why did she need someone like Hiro, someone who couldn't even find himself? Hiro was just… useless now. Ever since the accident, he had been a blank shell of his former self, addicted to the guilt that racked his body. The dream that his parents were still out there, alive. He… He missed them. And because of that, he was selfish. He stopped caring for others, despite the character he had built up for himself for all those years.

Zorome, Futoshi, Miku, Kokoro, Goro, Ichigo. All those were his friends, people that cared so deeply for him. People that he had once considered his closest friends. And yet, right now, he had never felt so far away from them. Pangs of regret flooded his body as he came to the realization. But it was how he was now. He was selfish.

But… He had still walked forwards that night, despite all that told him it was a mistake. He had walked forwards to the girl that sat alone atop that night sky, waiting for someone to reach her, for anyone. And Hiro had been the one to walk forwards.

Another scene flashed before his eyes as the night sky was ripped away from him, leaving him in his room, a girl peacefully laying on his lap, a thoughtful but guarded look in her alluring green eyes. Her mouth open, and soundless words entered the air, dancing in the atmosphere. Hiro couldn't hear them, but he knew exactly what those words were, and they echoed in his head.

Zero Two. He had asked her to run with him, and he remembered the worry in those sparkling emerald eyes as they gazed at him, her soft hand against his cheek. Why had he asked her to run with him? He had felt trapped. He was so close to something, and every answer seemed to be on the tip of his fingers, in touching distance. Yet he was so far at the same time. Something needed to change, he had been stagnant for the last three years, as if waiting for the opportunity, waiting for something.

He had wanted to run for so long. But he was scared. Something in him had changed, the presence of Zero Two pushed something in him that he hadn't felt in so long. Hope. Motivation. And in the rush of emotion he had asked her to run. Anywhere, really. He was desperate for answers, and he knew he would go even if she said no.

But he stayed. Those green orbs seemed to pull him back down to the ground, the pure emotion that vibrated in her eyes. It anchored him, and he felt the overwhelming sensation to stay just for her. He had to fight for her, to help her out of her own situation. His walls slowly began to crack.

She was his lifeline now. He woke up every morning, his mind stuck on her. He went to sleep every night, his mind glued on those beautiful features of hers. The way she was so easily able to make him smile, to make him comfortable, despite her overly flirtatious words that made his face an active volcano. Her existence gave him motivation to continue his own journey, and he went searching for answers even further, a quest he had stalled to complete.

Those comforting words that she said, the simple texts she sent his way that oozed with personality, a bubbly one that he fondly read with a smile, the openness that she displayed that Hiro was sure wasn't easily observable to just anyone. The way she expressed her affection for him by playing with him, tantalizingly brushing her lips against his, a teasing glint in her eyes as she strived for his complete and utter attention, the way she moved herself near him, as if she craved the way his eyes followed her. The way she touched him, pressing her tongue against him, as if he was a tasty morsel underneath those deadly canines.

The way she latched her nails right into him, digging for his veins as she held him against the wall, Hiro a mixture of physical and mental pain as he struggled. The red hue in her eyes as she brushed her teeth on his lips, the utter nonchalance at the way his forearms bled right under her.

And the doubt rushed into his head again, a darkness flooding him as he was locked by the image of her right on top of him, the absolute wildish gaze she had in her eyes as she played with him. She had hurt him, right?

…

Another image fleeted its way into his mind, a torch that scattered the darkness away as it made its way to the front of Hiro's psyche. The image of Zero Two backed against the opposite wall, her arms uselessly hung to her side as she stood there, her mouth agape slightly as her eyes tuned back down to its beautiful green. Regret oozed off her figure, and the sobs that racked her body physically pained Hiro to see. If he had the strength, he would have reached over to her, to tell her it wasn't her fault.

The way she couldn't finish her words, instead choking on them as everything in her seemed to break all at once. The tears that strolled down her perfectly white cheeks, staining them as they fell to the floor, splashing at it soundlessly. She had run, a blur in the night as she left Hiro in the alley.

Another ripple spread throughout Hiro's heart, and he was able to accept the final conclusion to the internal question. It was obvious at this point. He cared for her. But it was more than that. It was in a manner that he had never felt before, a constricting feeling around his heart that threatened to wrap around his very life as he considered the way she had run away, and the desperate feeling that rose inside of him as he wanted to chase after her, despite the torturous waves of agony that had took over his brain.

He had to wake up. He had to find her.

Heat. It was getting hotter. It was spreading throughout him, a fire that yearned for release. He struggled against the pressure of the water, enraged as it kept holding him back. He had to get out.

For her.

A part of his mind realized it was a futile attempt, to fight against the very ocean itself. Yet he kept trying, his punches uselessly hitting the empty sea as he kept thrusting every limb, as if a childish boy on a tantrum. Even as his muscles ached, whining their pains, he kept going, until he was left breathless, out of power.

He couldn't keep going, he had to stop. It was hurting now. It was time to rest, was it not? After all, the water around him seemed to lightly grasp around him, a soothing hold as it attempted to calm Hiro, and he could feel himself drowning in its efforts, his eyelids slowly closing.

One last image made its way forwards, weaving through the harmony of the ocean as it plastered itself right against Hiro.

The silhouette that had appeared out of nowhere, giving him light in the complete darkness that threatened to eat away at his very life. The hand that stuck out at him, the creamy skin of a child that seemed to emanate with hope. The large oak that stood right behind, its branches looming around him. And it all just _clicked_. The branches no longer pulsed with a malignant purpose. Hiro had been looking at it all wrong. The branches were protecting him, a hope that held him rooted to the ground.

Hiro was never the spectator of the tree. It was the other way around. The tree had been watching Hiro.

_"Save me."_

The silhouette's final words, fading away as she spoke her last breaths, a call of distress. He felt a pang in his mind, a clear call that shook away all the melodies that the ocean attempted to sing to him. There was more to this story than he thought.

A new energy flowed throughout him, however, it wasn't fiery, like the anger that had previously controlled him. It was electrifying, and every nerve in snapped to its proper position, calling to attention as it recognized the surge that rushed through him.

He wasn't sure what it was yet, but he certainly could feel its effects. He had to wake up, to find out everything. To find out what exactly these flashes were, if they were his memories or something else. He had to find that silhouette, the one that asked for his help. He had to find the answers to his parents, no matter what opposed him. But most important of them all…

He had to find Zero Two. He had to help her.

Power burst from his fists as he straightened himself, and he heard everything shatter around him, the calming ocean falling within itself as it dissipated, leaving him in darkness. But not the cold darkness that had previously attacked him. No, this one was a warm dark that held him, embraced him. It agreed with the passion that ran through him, empowering him even further.

"Hiro?"

A voice echoed throughout the open space, and Hiro snapped his eyes to it, and he was blasted by a blinding light that cascaded itself right into his eyes, and he winced at its sudden impact, covering his eyes with his forearms.

"Yeah, Mitsuru?"

His own voice resonated, and Hiro peeked his eyes open as he found himself a witness to another scene playing before him. He was in a playground, and the summer sun shone brightly down upon them. Hiro sat on a bench, casually flipping a woodchip in his hands as a cautious Mitsuru sat next to him, uncertainty vibrant in those green eyes.

They were young, and if Hiro were to throw out a wild guess, he would say they were around seven.

"I… Uhm… I wanted to… I need help, I think," Mitsuru trailed off, his eyes turning to look at the ground as the boy sheepishly moved his hand through his hair, and the younger version of Hiro paused, tossing the woodchip back onto the ground as he turned to the boy.

"Alright, tell me what I can do. I'm always here for you, Mitsuru," Hiro said, a kind smile atop his face as he looked at one of his closest friends, who turned to look back into Hiro's comforting eyes.

"Alright, well," Mitsuru began, slightly stumbling on his words. "I-I want to be… I need to learn how to be a hero, like you."

"Like me?" Hiro echoed his words, a playful smile reaching his lips. "Mitsuru, I'm no hero. Besides, why do you want to be a hero anyways?"

"It's just…" Mitsuru pursed his lips, pausing before he continued. "I want to be strong, because…because…"

Hiro's heart froze, and pain found its way back into his mind, pushing through his skull as it pulsed away, blocking any mental action form happening. He knew what would happen next. His heart swayed, and he heard the words echo in his head before Mitsuru even spoke. All his power fell away, leaving him a cold shell as the words rang out in his head.

_"My dad… He…"_

…

_"He hits me."_

* * *

"Wow, look at all the snow!" Kokoro exclaimed as she twirled around, admiration vibrant in her eyes as they locked onto the bounds of sleet that had fallen to the ground, still largely intact. Mitsuru couldn't help but share the sentiment, as the snow had mostly melted in the active part of the city. Yet, as they explored deeper into the abandoned districts, the snow was more compact, and it was a pleasant sight to see.

"I wonder why it hasn't melted at all over here?" Mitsuru pondered out loud, bending down to feel the snow softly spread through his hands, a cold feeling that lead to a slight shiver in the teenage boy. Standing back up, he amusedly watched Kokoro pick up the remnants of last night's sudden weather change, examining it closely as wonder expressed itself through her blue eyes in a child-like way.

Her eyes glanced over to his, widening as she seemed to realize the attention she had garnered as a splash of pink sprayed itself on her clear cheeks. She immediately stood, wiping her hands on her thighs as she coughed slightly, turning her head away from his.

"Ahem," She said, her voice wavering slightly as she spoke. "A-Anyways, let's keep going."

"You sure? You seemed to be enjoying yourself there," Mitsuru slightly teased at her, walking over to her side as his words seemed to incite an even further blush.

"It-It's fine. There's plenty of snow elsewhere too," She gave him a half smile as she began to walk forwards, further into the abandoned city. "Let's just keep going."

Mitsuru walked alongside her, and the two found themselves enjoying the scenes that displayed themselves before the duo. It was a rustic feeling, seeing the city stretch itself out as the two explored, finding little details that they previously would never have noticed. Abandoned pipelines expanded across the buildings, and soon they found themselves in a little city circle of sorts, a central area with a small park in the middle.

"Wow, I can't believe this was abandoned," Kokoro whispered, her voice fitting the complete silence that had encompassed the two. Mitsuru merely nodded, taking in the view. The small park was overgrown, given its vacant surroundings. A single large tree, an oak, stretched itself outwards, its broad branches surrounding the small park. On the ground, snow fell perfectly in place, giving it a wonderfully Christmas-like feel that pushed warm emotions onto Mitsuru.

Kokoro bounded forwards, excitement clear in her steps as Mitsuru slowly walked after her, his hands snug in his hoodie pocket as he admired the ambience. However, the abrupt stop of Kokoro's walk snapped Mitsuru back to attention, and he immediately whipped his hand to his backpack, ready to draw his gun if needed.

"I-Is that…" Kokoro's voice was small, shaking, and her finger outstretched to indicate something. Mitsuru followed the pointing, his eyes widening slightly as he saw. There was a body slumped on the floor, unmoving as snow covered most of it. It was face down, and Mitsuru could make out black hair.

He caught up to Kokoro quickly, extending his arm to hold her back as he slowly walked up, on his guard. He wasn't sure if the boy was dead or alive, but he had to ensure Kokoro would be safe. The boy's features were slowly getting more defined as Mitsuru crept closer, keeping his caution close. There were pools of blood around the boy's forearms that stained the white snow with a horrid dark color, and he frowned slightly as the boy's figure became more recognizable. It was slightly familiar.

He finally got to the boy, kneeling down to inspect him. Kokoro stood a few steps away, watching Mitsuru. He felt at his back, and its rising and falling indicated that he was still alive at least. Gently, Mitsuru turned the boy around, flipping him onto his back so Mitsuru could get a good look at his face.

Immediately Mitsuru fell back, landing on his rear as shock filled him, spreading down his veins as he gasped, the sight before him leaving him wordless.

"H-Hiro?!" He heard Kokoro shout behind him, and the flurrying steps of her feet hitting the snow, and she found herself immediately kneeled before the boy, shaking him. "Hiro!"

Mitsuru could only watch weakly, his mind in a state of disarray as he considered the situation. Why was Hiro here? To see the boy in such a state, fainted to the ground with blood pooled to his side. It would be a disgusting image had it been anyone else, but… It was Hiro.

Conflict arose within him as he debated over the topic, unsure of what to do. He felt a slight bit of satisfaction come over him, a feeling that he despised as he watched the helpless teen. He shouldn't feel this way, especially due to his grudge over Hiro being largely childish. But still, Mitsuru couldn't help but feel it, despite the sadism it suggested.

"Mitsuru," A voice called out to him, snapping him out of his thoughts as he looked over at Kokoro, her blue eyes wielding a desperate plea in them as she spoke. "Help me, please."

And just like that, everything snapped back into place for him. What was he doing? Regardless of his relationship with Hiro, Mitsuru couldn't just sit here and watch with glee. He immediately went to her side, examining the boy.

"I think we'll have to carry him back," Mitsuru said, as their efforts to wake him up ended futilely. It was an ugly prospect, given how far they had walked so far.

"I'll call Ichigo and Goro," Kokoro began, but was suddenly interrupted by a harsh coughing noise that burst open the air, causing the duo to turn to Hiro, the one who had emitted the noise. "Hiro?!"

The boy in question coughed again, and his eyes fluttered open, a warm blue that stared confusedly at the world around him, glancing with unease at both Kokoro and Mitsuru.

"K-Kokoro? Mitsuru?" Hiro spoke, his voice hoarse as he was sent into another coughing fit, and Mitsuru went over and placed his hand supportively on his back, lifting him up gently into a sitting position. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We should be asking that to you!" Kokoro's eyes flashed as she looked at Hiro. "Why were you out here, alone and… and…"

"And almost dead?" Hiro smiled slightly as he spoke, inciting a scowl from Kokoro. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

"Fine? Hiro, you look like a ghost!" Her voice was shrill, and she quickly got her phone out. "I'm calling Goro and Ichigo."

Hiro frowned at her words, but nodded slightly, as if accepting her proposal. His blue eyes wandered over to Mitsuru, and the sudden attention caused Mitsuru to look away, keeping his eyes locked to the floor.

"M-Mitsuru," Hiro's voice was soft, and Mitsuru froze as he spoke his name. "I'm…I'm sorry."

Frost froze over his nerves, keeping him locked in place as Mitsuru heard the words. He's sorry?

"Shut up, Hiro, just rest," Mitsuru mustered out as he felt the ice melt over, replaced with a burning anger. How could Hiro even say something like that? Who did he think he was?

"All those years ago, I-I forgot. I'm sorry, Mitsuru," Hiro repeated himself, his hand coming to Mitsuru's shoulder, the contact pushing Mitsuru to look at Hiro. His blue eyes shone, regret pouring out of them, and it was sincere. Sincere sorrow.

"Stop it, Hiro," Mitsuru's voice was a whisper, a desperate plea for Hiro to heed to. Yet the boy continued, his mouth opening as he continued to pour his words out.

"I should never have forgotten. It's my fault, Mitsuru, and I'm sorry."

Those damn words kept coming, words that Mitsuru didn't want to hear. He couldn't. Hiro couldn't be sorry, he couldn't take back what he said. It would mean…

"Shut up Hiro!" Mitsuru roared as he forced his way up, backing up from the boy who stared back. "You… Just… You can't say sorry… Because it would…"

He was choking on his words, unable to convey anything. Kokoro went to his side, her phone call finished as she came close, her hand comfortingly finding its way atop his, a soothing sensation. Yet the anger flowed through him, but not directed at Hiro. No, it was never directed at Hiro. It never was.

Hiro stood up, his legs shaking as he nearly toppled over, catching himself before standing straight, his blue eyes wavering like a wave on the ocean shore.

"I'm sorry, Mitsuru."

It all broke. Mitsuru could feel the tears falling down his face, splashing against the melting snow below them. Hiro couldn't say that. He couldn't say he was sorry. Because it meant… Those words flashed back into his mind, the words that Hiro had said all those years ago.

_"Why do you want to be a hero?"_

The hatred roared inside of him, fueling the heaving of his breaths. But it wasn't directed at Hiro. None of it ever was. It was what Hiro's words had made him realize that had gotten to Mitsuru all those years ago. He had desperately tried to target his anger, his pure loathing towards Hiro, but it had all been a farce.

It was those words that had made Mitsuru realize what he truly was. Worthless. Useless. Weak. Forgettable. Just a piece of trash on the side of the road, never able to experience the grandeurs the world offered. He had never hated Hiro.

No.

It was always this way. It was the reason why he was so desperate to prove himself, not to anyone else but himself. He had to prove himself wrong, to find something to replace the empty void in his heart that threatened to expand and take everything with it. It had always been this way, since all those years ago.

He hated himself.

* * *

"What happened Hiro?" Ichigo demanded, her green eyes building a storm in themselves as she sat at Hiro's bedside along with all their other friends. They were currently at Ichigo's house, all huddled up in her room.

The boy in question seemed hesitant, his blue orbs evading hers as he instead inspected every other aspect the room had to offer before finally answering.

"I… I don't want to really talk about it," Hiro trailed off, giving a sheepish half-smile, one that nearly everyone in the room returned with a scowl. Ichigo could feel her blood boiling, and she made sure her eyes glared with a fire as she spoke again.

"Hiro. Tell us," She emphasized each word, a threat hidden in the undertone of each vowel.

Hiro wrung his wrist with his other hand, a nervous tic that Ichigo was very aware of. Hesitation seemed to fill his eyes, flickering from each person that was currently in the room.

"You're never going to tell us anything, are you?" A voice suddenly spoke out, breaking the silence that held them as Ichigo turned to recognize him. Zorome held a nonchalance in his eyes, yet there was a deep bitterness that seemed to stretch past his words as he looked at Hiro.

"Zorome," Miku spoke, placing her hand on his arm as if to silence him. Instead, Zorome shook her hand off, opening his mouth to continue.

"No. Not this time. We've waited for how long now? Three years. It's been three long years where we've waited Hiro," Zorome was letting everything out now, expressing all his thoughts he'd kept hidden. "For what? I don't even know anymore. It's been clear that you're never going to be the Hiro we knew, so I don't know why we wait anymore. I, for one, am done with this all."

With that, the fiery boy turned, heading straight for the door, resentment radiating off him. No one moved to stop him, and Zorome left, leaving the room in a quiet state. Ichigo couldn't help but relate to his words, the resentment behind it a feeling she often felt as well.

Hiro leaned back into the bed, unresponsive. Ichigo bit her lip slightly, unsure of how to proceed. On one hand, she found herself on the same boat as that of Zorome, hopeless. Yet, she knew she had to be there for Hiro, no matter how useless it felt at times.

Ichigo felt eyes watching her, and she turned to them, where Goro stood. He looked at her with a solid stare, and the way it flickered from the door to her made it clear that he wanted them to leave Hiro to talk outside. Why he wanted to, she wasn't sure yet, but the awkward atmosphere made it a tempting decision.

"Hey, Hiro?" Ichigo spoke slowly, trying to catch the boy's attention. Hiro nodded, acknowledging her. "Uhm, we're going to go outside and give you some time to rest. We'll be back in a bit, and if you're able then, just tell us what's going on, please. We're all your friends here, and we want to know _because_ we care about you."

Another nod, one that Ichigo wanted to sigh at. It seemed her words had been barely processed, and it incited a resentful mood inside of her. Despite that, she went towards the door, motioning for the others to follow her.

Once outside the bedroom, Ichigo and the others made their ways downstairs, where Zorome sat on the couch, loitering away on his phone. The house was empty besides them, given that her parents were at work.

"Why'd you have to go and screw up everything like usual?" Miku began, her voice slightly irritated as she sat down next to Zorome, who scowled at her words.

"I was just saying what we were all thinking," Zorome said, looking at all the others. "I was just the only one brave enough to say it."

"He has a point," Goro sighed, pushing his glasses further up his face as he sat on top of the backside of the couch. "It's been hard trying to reach out to Hiro these past few years, and he doesn't seem willing to reach out to us either."

"Yeah, but we still have to be there for him," Ichigo began before being cut off by Zorome.

"Why? Who says we have to?" Zorome's voice was sharp as he spoke, bitterness clearly represented in it. "He hasn't cared about us for a long time now, so why do we have to care about him?"

"You're wrong," A voice spoke up, one that had been silent most of the time. Futoshi looked up at Zorome, who gawked at him in return. "Hiro does still care about us."

"Yeah? And why do you think that, huh?" Zorome's eyes narrowed at Futoshi, who quickly replied in return.

"I just know," Futoshi seemed to consider his words before continuing. "I think he's slowly returning to himself. Don't you guys see it? The way his eyes light up a bit more than usual, I think he's coming back to us. It's a process, it won't happen immediately, but it's happening."

Zorome clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth as he leaned back against the couch, puffing out one cheek as he sighed.

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean it's not fucking frustrating seeing him like that," Zorome murmured, emphasizing the curse. He stretched his arms outwards as he leaned back to look at Ichigo. "Speaking of which, I know you two know what's going on somewhat too."

He pointed at Goro and Ichigo as he spoke, an accusatory finger being raised. Ichigo quickly exchanged glances with Goro before speaking up.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo evaded Zorome's question, unsure of how to exactly answer given how elusive finding information had been thus far.

"Don't think I don't see you and Goro whispering all the time, talking about stuff," Zorome grumbled, crossing his arms as he raised an eyebrow.

"For once, I'm going to have to agree with Zorome here," Miku said, earning a loud "See! I told you!" from Zorome.

"You're right," Goro said, nodding his head as he sent a questioning look towards Ichigo. She hesitated, before realizing that if she were to refuse to give them the tidbits that they had gathered, she might as well label herself a hypocrite. She gave Goro the approving nod for him to continue. "We haven't learned much, to be fair, but we have our own theories."

"Ever since Hiro's parents died, Hiro's been acting… strange," Ichigo began, and the rest of the room agreed with her, giving stern nods. "It's pretty easy to say that Hiro's been sad all this time because of that."

"Yeah, but we all knew that," Futoshi pointed out. "I think Hiro's just been trying to cope all this time without his parents."

"Yes, I agree with that, but there's more to it," Ichigo paused, taking a second to collect her words before speaking again. "Hiro and I talked, after the funeral. Hiro thinks… He thinks that his parents' deaths weren't natural, and there's some nefarious plot behind it or something."

The room took a collective blink before Zorome spoke up to voice his own thoughts.

"Okay, but isn't that just… a coping method or something? He doesn't still believe that, right?" Zorome's voice slowly trailed off, processing the information given. He finally stopped, as if realizing that perhaps Hiro still did believe that.

"I don't know," Ichigo said strongly, before voicing over to another topic. "That's why I wanted to talk to Hiro about that. But there's still more. You guys remember when he got injured during that one summer when we were seven, right?"

Nods were spread around the room as each recalled the event.

"Well, we were never told why it happened. At least, you guys weren't. Goro and I have done some digging around lately because…" Ichigo stopped, pursing her lips as she tried to find the right words to say. "There's this girl that's begun to show up around Hiro. She calls herself Zero Two, and we're pretty sure that she's a part of a gang."

Silence held the room, each person garnering a different face to express their reaction as Miku opened her mouth.

"Okay wait. Hold up," Miku shook her head, holding her hands up. "Why… Who's Zero Two, why do you think she's a part of a gang, why is she around Hiro, and what does she have to do with his accident in the past?"

The barrage of questions left Ichigo speechless, as she tried to consider all the loaded queries. Thankfully, Goro decided to answer these as he spoke up, straightening.

"We don't know who Zero Two exactly is. We think she's a part of a gang because back in the past, Hiro's coma happened because he was kidnapped by a gang," Goro said, his words earning a laugh from Zorome. Everyone looked at him strangely until he stopped, jaw slightly agape as he turned to Goro.

"Wait, you're serious?"

Goro nodded, his glasses flashing as he turned to consider the seated boy.

"It's what Ichigo found out from her father. And it adds up. I asked my own dad about it, and he told me things. He said he thinks that Hiro's parents were a part of a gang as well," Goro said slowly, and this time Kokoro spoke up to respond.

"Hiro's parents? But… They were so nice and… They definitely didn't seem like they were a part of a gang," Kokoro's voice was small, as if everything she had known had just been challenged. Ichigo turned to look at her, starting slightly as she saw the boy next to her. Mitsuru.

In the chaos that Hiro had brought, she hadn't even realized Mitsuru was a part of it, which she considered strange. Once a close part of their group, he just left one day, though it had been a long time ago given their respective ages now. So, his presence here definitely wasn't expected.

"I know. My dad said they're not really gangs, but more like a mafia. A crime syndicate."

Everyone stopped, thoughts flying through the air as they attempted to breathe in all of it.

"This doesn't make sense. Like, at all," Zorome murmured, moving his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, that's what I thought at first too," Goro responded sympathetically, a small chuckle releasing itself from his lips. "It all sounds crazy, but it kind of adds up."

"Really? Because it still isn't adding up for me," Miku said, frowning as she leaned further into the couch as if giving up.

"Alright, well, you guys remember Project Apus? The thing that ended just before most of us were born?" Goro asked, receiving collective nods. "Well, it got cancelled because of rampant gang activity in the area. My dad would know. Apparently, the gangs were mostly two, called the Franxx and the Klax."

"Okay. So, you're saying that there's two gangs. These two gangs fought or something, and it caused Project Apus to stop. Hiro's parents were a part of one of them. So why did Hiro get kidnapped?" Zorome summarized, ending with a question. His tone held a sarcastic undertone, indicating that he still didn't believe everything that had been said so far.

"My dad said Hiro's parents were a part of the Klax. The ones that kidnapped him were supposedly a part of the Franxx," Goro responded.

"Okay. So, Hiro gets in a coma because he gets kidnapped by this rival gang. Alright. What does this Zero Two girl have to do with this?" Zorome returned with another question, one that Ichigo decided she would answer this time.

"When Hiro was still in his coma, he would occasionally wake up in extremely short intervals. In one of those, Hiro told me to remember one name: Zero Two," Ichigo began, adjusting her bangs as she spoke. "I asked Hiro's parents about it, and they told me to never tell him that name, because she was dangerous. And if she came, we had to protect Hiro."

"Huh," Was all Zorome could muster at this point, his dark eyes meddled with clouds.

"So, _if_ this were all true, then that means Hiro's in danger," Kokoro said softly, and Ichigo nodded, confirming her worries.

"Yeah. That's why Goro and I have been trying to find things out, so we can figure out what exactly is going on," She said.

"Well, that's enough for me then," Zorome suddenly spoke up, standing. Ichigo cast him a wary glance, ready for another indignant reply about how this made no sense. "I guess it's up to us to protect Hiro then."

Ichigo blinked at the boy, surprised at his answer, and even Goro chimed in, slightly amused as he spoke.

"Weren't you the one that burst out at him earlier?"

"Hey! Just because… I blew up on him because I cared about him, not because I hated him," Zorome shot back, his voice trailing off slightly towards the end before he continued. "I don't know how much of this is true, or what it all means, or really anything at this point. All I know is Hiro might be in danger, and even with him being weird all the time now, he's still one of my closest friends. I can't abandon him now."

His cheeks slightly turned pink at his emotional speech, but Zorome stood his ground, his eyes scanning the room, daring anyone to challenge him. Instead, Ichigo gave him a respectful nod, something that she had never felt for the boy.

"You're right, Zorome. It is up to us to protect him," Ichigo gave him a warm smile, and Miku sighed, playing with her hair slightly as she gave an approving nod.

"I guess we should go confront Hiro now, see what really happened to him," Goro said, and everyone nodded in response. It was time. Ichigo felt her blood pump with a determination as she made her way upstairs, knocking on her own door as she told Hiro they were all coming in.

She twisted the doorknob, the door slowly creaking open as they entered. The window was wide open, wind streaming into the room as sunlight glared at them. That wasn't what caught Ichigo's eye though.

Instead, it was the empty bed that lay before them, the sheets moved to the side. Hiro was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

It was nice weather that accompanied Hiro on his way to the cemetery. The sun shone brightly, a nice face in the sky that seemed to form a pleasant atmosphere that anyone would grow to appreciate. The rays fell down on the floor nicely, providing a perfect avenue for anything but the activity he was currently partaking on.

The path to it was starkly seared into his memory, although he had only been there once, for the actual burial process. He hadn't been able to return, for a variety of reasons. But he felt he had to know, just this one time. After all the grievances he had committed to his friends, Zero Two, to everyone really, he was left feeling… Empty.

It was a hole inside him that had suddenly opened, steadily expanding as he realized what he had done. The way he cast aside his friends in his sorrowful state, a desperate search for answers so that he could find reason in his blank world. He felt pangs of regret pool throughout him, but he knew it wasn't over yet. He had to tell his friends, to share with them, they deserved it. But not yet.

He entered the cemetery. Bluebonnet Hills. It was a nice location, filled with plots of grass and trees, monuments that made it a beautiful area, despite it being a graveyard. He knew the exact path to his parents' stones, and his feet took him there instinctively.

It had been dawning on him for a while, but everything was slowly beginning to click together, like jigsaw pieces coming together. His coma when he had been young wasn't just an accident that had been a part of his life. No, there was something more to it. He wasn't sure yet, but he had to find out.

Hiro had forgotten things because of it. Namely: Mitsuru. Not all his lost memories had returned, but at least that one had. He still felt like throwing up when he thought about it, the way Mitsuru expressed his deepest insecurities to him, a serious issue that Hiro had been determined to help with. Instead, he had forgotten.

It was a painful memory, but that wasn't all. These flashes of strange occurrences weren't just coincidence. Those words that etched into his brain, burning its way to the front of his mind. Those were from the book, from the library. Hiro wasn't sure what its importance to him was, but it clearly was triggering repressed memories.

He had to figure that one out too. And then there was the case of the silhouetted girl, the one that needed his help. He wasn't sure what part she played in all this either, but that was just another aspect to this mystery that he hadn't even uncovered yet. He still wasn't sure who she even was, but he had to find out.

His parents' deaths was another one. He had made some progress in it all, but he still had so much left unanswered, and Hiro felt he was on the verge of a major discovery. He just had to figure it all out first.

And then, to top it all off, there was Zero Two. She had her own circumstances that Hiro had to help with, and the strange connection that bonded him to her was tighter than anything he had ever felt in his life. He was drawn to her, and he knew he had to find her, to make everything right again.

And just as he considered all these things, he found himself before the one place that he had always been scared to visit.

Their plaques were pushed into the ground, a smooth marble-like material that had words etched into them. Hiro went to his knees cautiously, swiping away at the small stains of dirt that sat atop his parents' headstones.

"Hey guys," Hiro whispered, all his thoughts coming to a close as he sat next to his parents. He fondly put his hand over their names, smiling as he remembered them. "I'm sorry I haven't visited, like, at all. It's just been… A busy couple of years, I guess."

He ended his words with a slight chuckle, his body tightening as he could feel the tears threatening to fall. He hastily wiped at his eyes, shaking his head as he opened his mouth to speak again.

"I've missed you guys, and maybe you guys miss me too. I've been living, thought probably not in the way you'd like me to," Hiro looked towards the sky, where gentle clouds walked across the sky, playfully chasing each other. "It's just been hard."

A peaceful breeze ran its way through the air, ruffling Hiro's hair as he felt the tears begin to drop, rolling down his cheek. He haphazardly rubbed at them.

"I know you guys are dead," Hiro finally stated, an obvious statement with heavy emotion stapled throughout its words. "It's been a long time coming. I mean, it's been three years, right? I think I've finally accepted it. I'm here alone now, and you guys aren't coming back."

Hiro's chest heaved, and his stomach twisted uncomfortably as sobs racked his figure. Hiro brought his knees closer to his chest, his hand still resting atop his mother's headstone.

"But that still won't stop me. You told me to be brave, even if that was some dream," Hiro murmured, recalling to the strange experience that had plagued his mind ever since he had been to Dr Frank's office. "I'm going to keep going. I'll figure all this out, even if it leads me to dangerous places. I have to."

Birds chirped away, fluttering their wings as they soared overhead, and Hiro watched as a single feather floated its way down, landing a few feet away as it rested on the ground, abandoned.

"I've met someone. Her name is Zero Two. I don't think you guys would like her, she's kind of dangerous and stuff," Hiro smiled, his eyes still locked to the red feather that fell to a standstill. "But if you get to know her, she's not that dangerous. No, she's caring, funny, beautiful, fun, and so much more. I don't think she likes me much anymore, but I still have to find her. There's something about her that just pulls me in. And it's not her fault that she's in a gang or anything."

Hiro paused for a second, before turning back to look at his parents' graves.

"Oh yeah, another detail. She's a part of a gang. It's not her fault though. We're trying to get her out, even if we haven't done much in that regard. But she's a great person, even if she was born into shitty circumstances," Hiro stopped, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to process the words he wanted to say. "She makes me feel… Alive. A way I haven't felt in a long time. Maybe it's because I've been so lonely lately or something, but I really care for her. I really do."

Hiro closed his eyes as he let his emotions consume him, and he finally felt something arise from his stomach, a peaceful feeling. It bloomed throughout him like a flower, expanding its petals as it spread throughout his body.

"I'm going to figure everything out. I'm glad I got to talk to you guys like this. I miss you, mom and dad. I love you guys, forever and forevermore," His words came to a close as he heard footsteps behind him, cracking down on the various autumn leaves that had scattered themselves onto the ground.

"Your friends are looking for you," A voice said, causing Hiro to turn around. Mitsuru stood behind Hiro; his eyes averted from Hiro's as he spoke.

"Yeah, I figured that would happen," Hiro smiled softly as he stood up, dusting at his jeans and wiping at any watery residue on his face.

"Your parents, I'm guessing?" Mitsuru asked, and Hiro gave a simple nod. "My mom was buried here too."

Hiro paused, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he processed the words. His mom? When had Mitsuru's mother died? Hiro felt a pang of guilt as he realized he had never even known his mom had passed. He was taken out of his thoughts by the sudden movement of Mitsuru, who began to walk past Hiro. The teen followed, a peaceful silence holding the two.

"Right here," Mitsuru softly murmured, gently dropping to a crouch as he looked down upon his mother's headstone. Hiro stood close by, his heart wrenching as he saw Mitsuru fondly touch at his mother's grave. "Cancer. It was pretty quick though, all things considered."

"That's… I'm sorry, Mitsuru," Was all Hiro could muster out, and Mitsuru quickly shook his head.

"It's fine, Hiro. It's already happened. All we can do is move on," Mitsuru said, his emotions pouring out of him as he finally turned to look at Hiro. Hiro flinched at the strong force radiating off of his green eyes. "Look, about what happened earlier, back at that park."

"I'm sorry. I-" Hiro began, before being abruptly cut off by Mitsuru.

"Stop it," He hissed, shutting Hiro up as Mitsuru took a deep breath, looking to the sky for support before continuing. "I get it. That coma you had when you were seven, it must have messed with your memories or something, right."

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Hiro asked, nodding.

"The others were talking about it," Mitsuru said offhandedly.

"It's still no excuse for forgetting though," Hiro said softly, shaking his head again as he opened his mouth. "I'm still sorry, Mitsuru. I should never have forgotten, especially something as important as that."

"It's alright Hiro, really. What's done is done," Mitsuru softly spoke, his eyes glowing with sincerity. "If anything, I should be sorry."

"Don't say that. You, of all people, shouldn't be sorry," Hiro objected, frowning at his statement.

"I was never mad at you, Hiro," Mitsuru continued, as if ignoring what Hiro had said. "I realize that now. Hiro, I… I've always looked up to you, though I suppose that's pretty obvious given that everyone looked up to you. Your words back then, they hurt me _because _they made me realize how utterly useless I was."

"Don't say that," Hiro tried to speak again, but once again, Mitsuru cut him off.

"Let me finish first. I never _hated_ you. I hated myself. I hated myself for being weak, for being worthless, for being nothing. I think I still do somewhat. But, the point is, I'm sorry too. I already accept your apology, so you don't have to say it anymore, alright?" With that, Mitsuru finally finished, his eyes wavering as he held them to Hiro.

"Mitsuru, I…" Hiro choked on his words, unable to get them out as he felt his knees threaten to topple over from the emotional weight that had been thrusted onto him. "Does your dad… Does he still…"

"No, not since," Mitsuru trailed off, his eyes glancing over at his mom's grave. Hiro just gave a simple nod.

"I'm glad we can move on," Hiro began finally, straightening up as he looked at Mitsuru. "I'm still sorry, no matter what you say. But I appreciate you being here, and I'll try my best to make it up to you in anyway possible."

Mitsuru nodded, his eyes looking up to the sky before he looked back at Hiro again.

"Hiro, I don't know what's been going on with you lately," Mitsuru said, his voice hard as he continued. "All I know is there's been a lot of things, and you might be in danger. But I know that you'll still keep going no matter what, because you're Hiro. So, let me help."

"I can't," Hiro immediately responded, shaking his head no. "It's dangerous, Mitsuru."

"So? I can handle myself now," Mitsuru glowered slightly, his eyes a challenging green. Hiro smiled a bit at the look, feeling a bit nostalgic.

"You sure? Things are going to get hectic, and I think we just might miss a bit of school," Hiro grinned, a smiling etching itself across his face as Hiro already knew his answer. Mitsuru returned it happily, a determined look striking itself on his green orbs.

"Just like the old days," Mitsuru said, and Hiro reminisced to the days when the duo would skip class, exploring wherever they felt they wanted to go, having no regard to any boundary that threatened to inhibit their curiosity.

"I'll have to accept your offer then," Hiro held his hand out, and Mitsuru easily took it. Looking into Mitsuru's eyes, Hiro couldn't help but find himself in the past. Looking at him, it was clear that Mitsuru never needed to be a hero. No, with that spirit in his eyes, it was pretty obvious.

Mitsuru had always been a hero.

**The Prince Assigns his Squire**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks for reading! I'm glad you guys are still enjoying, stay tuned for a new chapter here.

**Author's Note (Extended): **Alright, so I'm not an avid reader or writer on this website, so I'm not aware of many customs that happen on this website. That being said, I'd like to acknowledge the amazing amount of support that I've been receiving lately. I don't know if authors are usually PMing or even recognizing their reviewers, but I've received some amazing reviews lately so thank you guys so much for your continued support. It really helps knowing that you guys enjoy my story so far. Moving on from that, this story is beginning it's next story arc, which will be much more loaded in action, plot, and character delving. Thus, my writing process will be taking longer given that there are going to be a lot more details that are going to have to be processed, and I have to consider a lot of the story. Therefore, my current posting progress of nearly daily will probably be changed to be a bit more erratic. Currently, I post as soon as I finish writing and editing my story. I don't know if you guys like that or would prefer a more strict weekly update schedule. Whatever you guys prefer, just let me know. Finally, I'd just like to acknowledge you guys one more time. Thanks for the awesome amounts of support. I'll try to keep up with your guys expectations with this story!


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